2006-09-13 - Osaka City University, Japan. Uni S, Bain O., Agatsuma T, Katsumi A, Baba M, Yanai T, Takaoka H.
A new onchocercid species, Loxodontofilaria caprini n. sp, found in subcutaneous tissues of 37 (33%) of 112 serows examined in Japan, is described. The new parasite appears to clearly illustrate a major event in the evolution of onchocercids: the host-switching. This might have occurred on the Eurasian continent, where elephantids and the lineage of rupicaprines diversified during the Pliocene-Pleistocene, or in Japan, into which some of these hosts migrated.
2006-09-10 - Copenhagen, Denmark. Bojesen AM, Olsen KE, Bertelsen MF. Dept. Veterinary Pathobiology uni Copenhagen
Two cases of fatal enteritis caused by Clostridium difficile in captive Asian elephants are reported from an outbreak affecting five females in the same zoo. Post mortem examination including histopathology demonstrated fibrinonecrotic enterocolitis. It is speculated that the feeding of large quantities of broccoli, a rich source of sulforaphane, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of many intestinal microorganisms may have triggered a subsequent overgrowth by C. difficile.
2006-09-01 - Wroclaw, Poland. Elzanowski A, Sergiel A. Department of Zoology, University of Wroclaw
This study recorded daytime behavior of a female Asiatic elephant at the Municipal Zoo, Wroclaw, Poland, in both an indoor pen and an outdoor paddock as continuous scan sampling for 140 hr, over 35 days in 1 year. Stereotypic sequences involved bouts of highly repetitive stereotypic movements and much more variable interbout behavior.
2006-08-23 - Durban, South Africa. Shannon G, Page BR, Duffy KJ, Slotow R., Amarula Elephant Research Programme, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Elephants (Loxodonta africana) exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, and in this study we test the prediction that the differences in body size and sociality are significant enough to drive divergent foraging strategies and ultimately sexual segregation. Males had longer feeding bouts, displayed significantly more destructive behaviour (31% of observations, 11% for females) and ingested greater quantities of forage during each feeding bout.
2006-07-12 - New York, United States. Lyashchenko KP, Greenwald R, Esfandiari J, Olsen JH, Ball R, Dumonceaux G, Dunker F, Buckley C, Richard M, Murray S, Payeur JB, Andersen P, Pollock JM, Mikota S, Miller M, Sofranko D, Waters WR.
Tuberculosis (TB) in elephants is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused primarily by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Current diagnosis relies on trunk wash culture, the only officially recognized test, which has serious limitations. To characterize the humoral responses in elephant TB, we tested 143 serum samples collected from 15 elephants over time. In addition to MAPIA, serum samples were evaluated with a recently developed rapid test (RT) based on lateral flow technology (ElephantTB STAT-PAK). S...
2006-07-07 - Leipzig, Germany. Rompler H, Rohland N, Lalueza-Fox C, Willerslev E, Kuznetsova T, Rabeder G, Bertranpetit J, Schoneberg T, Hofreiter M.. Molecular Biochemistry, Uni Leipzig
By amplifying the melanocortin type 1 receptor from the woolly mammoth, we can report the complete nucleotide sequence of a nuclear-encoded gene from an extinct species. This finding suggests that mammoths may have been polymorphic in coat color, with both dark- and light-haired individuals co-occurring.
2006-07-04 - Hyderabad, India. Gupta SK, Thangaraj K, Singh L. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad
We have developed a technique based on molecular markers to determine that the carcass is an elephant and that it is a male. Using DNA sequence information from Genbank, we have developed two primer pairs: one for the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the other for the sex-determining region of Y chromosome (SRY) gene of the Indian elephant.
2006-06-28 - Berlin, Germany. Reid CE, Hildebrandt TB, Marx N, Hunt M, Thy N, Reynes JM, Schaftenaar W, Fickel J.. Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin
Since 1995, 4 suspected cases of Endotheliotropic Elephant Herpes Virus (EEHV) infection, i.e. based on clinical presentation, have occurred in Asia without resulting in epidemic outbreaks, which brings many of the traditional theories into question. Herpes is still ramped in captive elephant populations worldwide, devastating particularly the neonatal and weaning-age population.
2006-06-07 - Conway, United States. Schulte BA, Rasmussen LE. Department of Chemistry, Hendrix College, Conway, AR
Using automated solid-phase dynamic extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, our search for urinary chemical signals from ovulatory female African elephants (Loxodonta africana) has revealed the bark beetle aggregation pheromones frontalin, exo-brevicomin, and endo-brevicomin, as well as their precursors and the aphid alarm pheromones (E,E)-alpha-farnesene and (E)-beta-farnesene.
2006-05-29 - Cambridge, United Kingdom. Allen WR. Dep. of Vet.Med. Equine Fertility Unit, Univ. of Cambridge, Suffolk
The African elephant reproduces so efficiently in the wild that overpopulation is now a serious problem in some game parks in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The female reaches puberty between 10 and 12 years of age in the wild and, when in captivity, shows oestrous cycles of 14-15 weeks duration. She readily conceives a singleton in the wild yet her uterus has the capacity for twins. She shows a gestation length of 22 months and, in the wild, shows a population density and feed dependent i...
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