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IntroductionIntrapulmonary arteriovenous anastomoses (IPAVAs) are defined as relatively large, dynamic shunt vessels that connect the pulmonary arterial and venous systems, thereby bypassing the pulmonary capillary system. IPAVAs lower elevated pulmonary arterial pressure; however, the presence of the shunt can result in impaired pulmonary gas exchange and paradoxical embolism. Furthermore, the prevalence and effects of IPAVAs in raccoon dogs remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPAVA among rescued Korean raccoon dogs and evaluate the changes in IPAVA following oxygen supplementation.MethodsNineteen raccoon dogs rescued by the Jeonbuk Wildlife Centre between August 2022 and December 2023 were subjected to echocardiography. Sixteen healthy and three abnormal raccoon dogs were subjected to transthoracic agitated saline contrast echocardiography (bubble study) based on the echocardiography results. IPAVA was considered to be present if the left heart contrast was visualised after four cardiac cycles following the visualisation of the first right heart contrast. Bubble scores (BS0–5) were assigned based on the maximum number of microbubbles observed in the left ventricular lumen per frame of the ultrasound image. BS was assigned before and after supplementation with 100% oxygen for 5 min.ResultsIPAVA was detected in 12 of the 16 healthy raccoon dogs at rest (75%). The BS of the 15 IPAVA-positive raccoon dogs ranged from 1 to 4 points (BS1, 1; BS2, 4; BS3, 8; and BS4, 2). Blood flow through the IPAVA (QIPAVA) was reduced or absent in the 15 IPAVA-positive raccoon dogs after supplementation with 100% oxygen (BS0, 11; BS2, 4). Moreover, BS of the IPAVA showed a significant correlation with the cardiac output per body weight (BW).ConclusionThe prevalence of IPAVA in healthy raccoon dogs at rest was 75%. Adequate oxygen supplementation was found to be effective in reducing QIPAVA, which may help prevent potential negative factors such as pulmonary gas exchange impairments and paradoxical embolism that can occur with IPAVA.

IntroductionNyctereutes procyonoides koreensis (Korean raccoon dog), a member of the Canidae family, is anatomically similar to dogs. Previous studies have used vertebral heart scale measurements to measure the cardiac size of Korean raccoon dogs on thoracic radiographs; however, the use of additional cardiac size indices, such as vertebral left arial score, intercostal space, cardiothoracic ratio, and echocardiographic indices, has not been reported. Therefore, this study aimed to establish normal reference ranges for various thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices in normal Korean raccoon dogs.MethodsTwenty-six Korean raccoon dogs (11 males and 15 females) were included in this study. The thoracic radiographic indices, vertebral heart scale score, and vertebral left atrial score were measured in the right lateral view. The intercostal space and cardiothoracic ratio were measured in the ventrodorsal view. The echocardiograms were evaluated in the right parasternal long and short axis view and left parasternal apical view.ResultsThe mean values for the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices were as follows: vertebral heart scale, 9.12 ± 0.74; vertebral left atrial score, 1.5 ± 0.31; intercostal spaces, 3.17 ± 0.34; cardiothoracic ratio, 0.69 ± 0.07; left atrial to aortic root ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; main pulmonary artery to aorta ratio, 1.22 ± 0.14; left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter normalized for body weight, 1.36 ± 0.19; end-diastolic volume index, 51.07 ± 19.6; end-systolic volume index, 16.54 ± 7.45; the peak velocity of early diastolic transmitral flow, 73.13 ± 15.46 cm/s; and the ratio between the transmitral flow velocities and the peak early diastolic velocity, 1.77 ± 0.47. Only percent increase in the left ventricular end-systolic internal diameter was negatively correlated with body weight. The remaining indices showed no correlations with body weight.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report covering both thoracic radiographic and endocardiographic indices for Korean raccoon dogs. Thus, the thoracic radiographic and echocardiographic indices established in this study may be used to evaluate the cardiac condition of Korean raccoon dogs.

Abstract Background Infectious diseases transmitted by wild animals are major threats to public health. This study aimed to investigate the potential of rescued wild animals that died of unknown causes as reservoirs of infectious agents. From 2018 to 2019, 121 dead wild animals (55 birds and 66 mammals) were included in this study. All wild animals died during treatment after anthropogenic events. After deaths of animals, necropsies were performed and trachea, lungs, large intestine (including stool), and spleen were collected to determine causes of deaths. A high-throughput screening (HTS) quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) designed to detect 19 pathogens simultaneously against 48 samples in duplicate was performed using nucleic acids extracted from pooled tissues and peripheral blood samples. If positive, singleplex real-time PCR was performed for individual organs or blood samples. Results The HTS qPCR showed positive results for Campylobacter jejuni (10/121, 8.3%), Campylobacter coli (1/121, 0.8%), Mycoplasma spp. (78/121, 64.5%), and Plasmodium spp. (7/121, 5.7%). Singleplex real-time PCR confirmed that C. jejuni was detected in the large intestine but not in the blood. C. coli was only detected in the large intestine. Mycoplasma spp. were detected in all organs, having the highest proportion in the large intestine and lowest in the blood. Plasmodium spp. was also detected in all organs, with proportions being were similar among organs. Conclusions This study shows that wild animals can become carriers of infectious agents without showing any clinical symptoms.

Insufficient reports are available on what clinical and pathological conditions are observed in rescued free-living wild birds. This study investigated recent diagnoses of admitted wild birds based on admission causes in a southwestern area of South Korea over the past 2 years. A retrospective study was conducted on 1464 birds rescued from 2019 to February 2021. Overall, 12 admission subcategories were classified, and the diagnoses identified for each cause were analyzed. The three most frequently observed categories, general, integumentary, and musculoskeletal, each accounted for 20% of the total diagnoses. Trauma accounted for 71.4% of all diagnoses, and 81.5% featured inflammatory conditions, primarily due to trauma or infection. The proportion of birds that presented inflammatory conditions was much greater than the proportion of birds that were admitted due to trauma-related causes. This was because inflammatory diseases were identified at a high frequency, even from nontraumatic admission causes, and inflammatory conditions were not easily revealed. Suspecting an inflammatory condition in most rescued birds is advisable.

Rescued wild birds have very high rates of inflammatory diseases; however, there have been limitations in assessing them sensitively. Few studies have examined acute-phase proteins in wild birds. In this study, serum amyloid A (SAA) was evaluated as an inflammatory indicator along with traditional indices such as white blood cell count, albumin, and albumin/globulin ratio. In total, 291 samples from 139 birds of six avian species were analyzed. All samples were divided into four groups (severe, moderate, mild injuries, and clinically healthy) based on clinical examinations and evaluated by group. SAA levels were measured using an anti-chicken SAA ELISA kit and compared with leukocyte counts, albumin concentrations, and albumin/globulin ratios. Differences among groups were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by a post hoc test using Dunn’s multiple comparisons with SPSS V27. Statistical significance was set at a value of p of

Despite the importance of antimicrobial resistance, only a few studies on the antimicrobial susceptibility on wild animals have been conducted owing to their population, accessibility, and characteristics. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of antimicrobial resistance pattern in Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis isolated from the feces of captive wild animals in a zoo. A total of 61 captive wild animals were included in this study. E. coli was isolated from 58 of the 61 animals and E. faecalis was isolated from 29 animals. Among the isolated E. coli strains, ampicillin exhibited the highest resistance rate (27/29, 93.1%). Of these, 18 strains (18/29, 62%) showed multidrug resistance. The multilocus sequence typing (MLST) test showed that only ST155 was detected twice, while the other 16 strains showed different ST types. Among the E. faecalis strains, two were susceptible to all tested antimicrobials, whereas the remaining 27 strains showed resistance to one or more antimicrobials. Nine strains (9/27, 31%) showed multidrug resistance. Among the E. faecalis strains, resistance to quinupristin/dalfopristin was the highest at 96.3% (26/27), while the MLST of the nine MDR strains showed no predominant ST. Genetic association with human isolates or livestock products was observed in the isolated ST types. This indicates that antibiotic resistance in the zoo is responsible for the use of antibiotics and the partial horizontal transmission between humans and animals through feeding or contact.

A 9-month-old, female Pomeranian dog presented with vomiting and lethargy. Ultrasonography revealed multilobulated anechoic round shape structures at the ovarian and uterine locations. Through computed tomography scan, an extensive non-contrast multilobulated fluid-filled mass suspected of originating from the walls of the ovary, uterus, urinary bladder and rectum was observed. Ovariohysterectomy and urinary bladder biopsy were performed. Histopathological examination revealed numerous cystic lesions lined by plump cuboidal cells believed to be of epithelial origin. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the cyst-like lesions lining cells were strongly positive for lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1. Based on these results, lesions were identified as generalized lymphatic anomaly (GLA), in which lymphangiomas develop in multiple organs. After 6 months follow-up, the size of the cysts remaining in the region of the bladder did not undergo much change. GLA should be included in the differential diagnosis when multiple cystic lesions are interspersed in multiple organs.

Rescued wild birds have very high rates of inflammatory diseases; however, there have been limitations in assessing them sensitively. Few studies have examined acute-phase proteins in wild birds. In this study, serum amyloid A (SAA) was evaluated as an inflammatory indicator along with traditional indices such as white blood cell count, albumin, and albumin/globulin ratio. In total, 291 samples from 139 birds of six avian species were analyzed. All samples were divided into four groups (severe, moderate, mild injuries, and clinically healthy) based on clinical examinations and evaluated by group. SAA levels were measured using an anti-chicken SAA ELISA kit and compared with leukocyte counts, albumin concentrations, and albumin/globulin ratios. Differences among groups were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by a post hoc test using Dunn's multiple comparisons with SPSS V27. Statistical significance was set at a value of p of <0.05. The median concentration and interquartile range (ng/mL) of SAA in each group were 78.10 ng/mL (50.71-109.30), 31.15 ng/mL (19.85-49.24), 9.68 ng/mL (4.71-22.06), and 3.10 ng/mL (1.50-6.00). We observed a significant difference in the mean levels between the groups (p < 0.001), with the same results observed across species. All four indices showed significant differences in mean values between the groups (p < 0.001). In addition, SAA showed rapid changes in periodically collected samples, reflecting either a positive treatment response or the onset of subclinical diseases. SAA can be used to detect inflammatory conditions and asymptomatic disease in wild birds and is helpful in accurately identifying current health status, which is essential for successful treatment and release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adult raccoon dog with extensive, deep, and contaminated wounds on the right hip and multiple fractures was rescued. The open wound was managed daily by debridement and flushing for 3 weeks. Modified active drainage was then performed, and antibiotics administered according to the antibiotic susceptibility test. After 2 weeks, the exudate disappeared and the drain was removed. After monitoring for 1 month, the animal was released in to the wild. This case shows that even if infection remains, rapid wound repair is possible if appropriate antibiotic selection through regular examination and active drainage are combined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the direct method, we prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of an additive functional inequality in matrix normed modules over a C*-algebra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of the Cauchy additive functional equation in matrix normed modules over a C*-algebra [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]