Changes in fecal estrogen levels and sexual behavior in captive sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) following a male replacement.

Rhinopithecus roxellana are generally seasonal breeders, although copulation can occur throughout the year. Previous studies suggest that estradiol modulates female sexual behavior during the mating season. However, the effects of social context on estrogen levels and behavior have not been fully explored. We studied the relationship between sexual behaviors and fecal estrogens in a group of captive R. roxellana during a period of social instability. We collected behavioral data for six months and collected fecal samples at 2-3-day intervals for four months spanning the mating and nonmating seasons, and analyzed fecal estrogen levels via RIA. Females showed clear cyclic solicitation and copulation peaks in the mating season, which corresponded with sharp peaks in fecal estrogens. During the nonmating season, solicitation rates, copulation rates, and fecal estrogens were generally low. However, one nonpregnant female displayed a sharp peak in solicitations, copulations, and estrogens during the nonmating season 10-14 days after a male replacement. Our results provide preliminary evidence that social and behavioral changes affect estrogen levels in R. roxellana.

Uterine metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma in a scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah).

A 13-year-old female scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) died after progressive anorexia, weight loss, and depression. The necropsy showed that the retroperitoneum was compressed by a large white-to-tan uterine mass and on several sections of the mass, the uterine wall was markedly thickened because of ill-defined transmural tumor tissue. Metastatic nodules were detected in the omentum, mesentery, diaphragm, and lung. The genital tract and pulmonary and abdominal nodules exhibited highly pleomorphic sarcoma. The primary and metastatic neoplastic cells showed positive results for vimentin, desmin, and sarcomeric actin, and negative results for smooth muscle actin. Uterine metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed on the basis of the gross, histopathology and immunohistochemistry results.

Production of blastocysts after intergeneric nuclear transfer of goral (Naemorhedus goral) somatic cells into bovine oocytes.

Interspecies cloning may be a useful method to help conserve endangered species and to study nuclear-cytoplasm interaction. The present study investigated in vitro development of goral (Naemorhedus goral) intergeneric nuclear transfer embryos produced by fusing goral fibroblasts with enucleated metaphase II (MII) bovine oocytes. After two to five passages, serum-starved or non-starved goral skin fibroblast cells were transferred into enucleated MII bovine oocytes. Couplets were electrically fused and chemically activated, and then cultured in either modified synthetic oviduct fluid (mSOF) or tissue culture medium-199 (TCM-199) supplemented with 10% FBS. Serum starvation of donor cells did not affect the fusion rate and or development to of cells to the two-cell stage, to more than 9-cells, or to morulae, regardless of culture medium. Three blastocysts from 202 fused embryos were obtained when embryos reconstructed with non- serum- starved donor cells were cultured in mSOF. However, no blastocysts were obtained when the embryos reconstructed with serum-starved donor cells were cultured in mSOF. The total cell number of goral intergeneric embryos averaged 130.3 (range 105-180). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that bovine oocytes can support blastocyst development after intergeneric SCNT with goral fibroblasts.

Disseminated visceral coccidiosis and cloacal cryptosporidiosis in a Japanese white-naped crane (Grus vipio).

A 4-mo-old male Japanese white-naped crane (Grus vipio) kept in an outdoor exhibit at the Everland Zoological Gardens in Korea became depressed and developed anorexia, weight loss, and diarrhea. Death of this bird was associated with an overwhelming systemic infection by an intracellular coccidian parasite, which resulted in necrosis and granulomatous inflammation in a number of major organs, including the intestine, liver, spleen, and kidney. Coccidian parasite-laden macrophages were commonly found in the blood vessels of these organs. Using electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction assays, the parasite was identified as Eimeria sp. The bird was also infected with Cryptosporidium sp., which suggests an immunosuppressed state, although the cause of such suppression was not identified. Our findings suggest that an initial Eimeria sp. intestinal infection spread to other organs through the blood vessels, with the immunosuppressed state possibly contributing to a rapid hematogenous transmission. To our knowledge, this is the first report of disseminated visceral coccidiosis caused by Eimeria sp. in a captive Japanese white-naped crane.