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Owing to their omnivorous diet, den-site habits, foraging activities, mating behaviors, and other pertinent habitat-use and natural-history traits, Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk [ESS]) are exposed to a wide variety of pathogenic agents. Understanding the diversity of infectious diseases affecting ESS in conjunction with the role this species plays in the disease ecology of these pathogens is crucial not only for devising efficacious management strategies, but also in formulating comprehensive veterinary and public health strategies for combatting zoonotic diseases associated with this species. Herein I review the reported infectious diseases of ESS. I address the implications of these pathogens for current and future population health of the species with reference to the changing dynamics of ESS disease ecology, influenced by increasing habitat fragmentation, exposure to pathogens across the domestic–wildlife interface, fluctuating climatic patterns, antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and the profusion of immunosuppressant chemicals throughout the environment. Employing a One Health framework to evaluate the role that ESS play in the disease ecology of zoonoses further highlights the interrelationships of ESS health to the health of humans, domestic animals, and other wildlife. The potential for ESS to serve as hosts, “dilutors”, and/or sentinels for zoonoses underscores their importance in public health and provides an opportunity to leverage their potential disease-mitigating attributes for the conservation of ESS aligned with their provision of ecosystem services.

The diversity, clinical manifestations, and impact on overall health of pathogenic fungi in Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk [ESS]) have been poorly investigated. Herein, we describe the first reported cases of fungal dermatitis in ESS from a population in southeastern Texas. In 2016, two of 3 ESS live-trapped in Harris County, TX, exhibited symptoms consistent with dermatophytosis. We isolated fungus from 1 of 2 cultures grown from scraped samples of infected ESS skin and morphologically identified it as Microsporum canis. Reviewing local wildlife rehabilitation records, we were able to confirm the prevalence of dermatophytosis within local mephitid populations. We examine the implications of the discovery of a zoonotic fungal pathogen in ESS in light of its importance in wildlife medicine as well as its ramifications for the health of domestic animals and humans.

West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne arbovirus, remains a major global health concern. In this study, we optimized PCR methods then assessed serially-collected whole blood (WB), urine (UR), saliva, and semen specimens from a large cohort of WNV-positive participants to evaluate the natural history of infection and persistent shedding of WNV RNA. Viral RNA extraction protocols for frozen WB and UR specimens were optimized and validated through spiking experiments to maximize recovery of viral RNA from archived specimens and to assess the degradation of WNV RNA in stored UR specimens. The resultant procedures were used in conjunction with PCR detection to identify WNV-positive specimens and to quantify their viral loads. A total of 59 of 352 WB, 10 of 38 UR, and 2 of 34 saliva specimens tested positive for WNV RNA. Although a single semen specimen was positive 22 days post onset, we could not definitively confirm the presence of WNV RNA in the remaining specimens. WNV RNA-positive UR specimens exhibited profound loss of viral RNA during storage, highlighting the need for optimal preservation pre-storage. This study provides optimized methods for WNV RNA detection among different fluid types and offers alternative options for diagnostic testing during the acute stages of WNV.

Despite an extensive described fossil record of Galliformes (Aves: ‘landfowl’), very few specimens have been considered within a phylogenetic context. Here we present a cladistic analysis and description of a new, well-preserved and well-dated fossil specimen from the Middle Eocene Bridger Formation of Wyoming (c. 50 Ma). Amitabha urbsinterdictensis gen. et. sp. nov. is assigned to Galliformes on the basis of the presence of derived characters including double, and open, incisurae laterales on the sternum and an incisura capitis of the proximal humerus that is enclosed from the crus dorsale fossa by a distinct ridge. Amitabha is considered to be a member of the large and diverse ‘phasianoid’ clade of Galliformes (including, for example, the pheasants, peafowl and turkeys) owing to a lack of extensive pneumaticity in the sternal plate. The age of this avian taxon and degree of preservation allow for a discussion of the use of fossil birds for the calibration of ‘molecular clock’ hypotheses and dating divergences within Neornithes in general, and Galliformes in particular.