Browsing by Subject "Capra pyrenaica"

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    Evaluation of oxidant/antioxidant balance in Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) experimentally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei
    (Elsevier, 2017-08-15) Espinosa, José; Pérez, Jesús M.; López-Olvera, Jorge R.; Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Cano-Manuel, Francisco J.; Fandos, Paulino; Soriguer, Ramón C.; Granados, José Enrique; Romero, Diego; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Oxidative stress (OS) is an imbalance between radical-generating and radical scavenging activity, resulting in oxidation products and tissue damage. Although some studies have been done in other species, there is a lack of information about the oxidative/antioxidant status in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) affected by sarcoptic mange. To clarify this fact, albumin, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), glutathione reductase (GR), reduced glutathione (GSH): oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total oxidant status (TOS) concentrations were measured in peripheral blood of ibexes experimentally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei (n = 25), as well as in the healthy control group (n = 14). During the course of the experiment, the infected ibexes were visually assigned to four categories according to the percentage of skin surface affected by mites. In the infested ibexes, the levels of albumin, PON-1, CAT, SOD, GSH-Px and GSH:GSSG ratio showed a significant (p < 0.01) decrease with disease progression. With respect to the control group, this decrease was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the more severe clinical stages. No significant changes were observed in GR activity during disease or with respect to the control group. Conversely, the concentrations of TOS and TBARS increased with lesion severity, and with respect to the control group, this increase was significant (p < 0.01) in the more advanced stages of the infection. Additionally, to explore the possible effects of sex, age, haplotype, mange status, and days post infection (dpi) on each of the OS biomarkers, generalized additive mixed models were applied. According to our results, the mange status and dpi explained the highest percentages in the observed changes in the biomarkers analyzed, whereas the haplotype only influenced the observed variability of albumin and TOS. The contribution of sex and age was not significant in any of the OS biomarkers. From the present study, it may be concluded that sarcoptic mange infestation increases OS and decreases antioxidant status in ibex. This imbalance may contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease.
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    Guidelines for managing captive Iberian ibex herds for conservation purposes
    (Elsevier, 2017-08-30) Espinosa, José; López-Olvera, Jorge R.; Cano-Manuel, Francisco J.; Fandos, Paulino; Pérez, Jesús M.; López-Graells, Clara; Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Mentaberre, Gregorio; Romero García, Diego; Soriguer, Ramón C.; Granados, José E.; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Overexploitation, pollution, habitat loss or emerging diseases have led to a large number of species to extinction.This has made zoos and wildlife enclosures expand their goals beyond entertainment and fun; their participation in conservation and research programs is important for the recovery of multiple species. To ensure success, staff need to know the specific requirements of each species. In case of the Iberian ibex (Capra pyreanica), a wild ungulate endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, different sarcoptic mange outbreaks caused dramatic declines of some ibex populations, which led managers and researchers to explore strategies aimed at preventing and controlling this disease and to reduce its impact on ibex populations. Such management plans included the creation of stock reservoirs as an in-situ conservation measure. The objective of the stock reservoir El Toril, as a key part of a general management plan, is to keep in captivity (in range) a sex and age structured representation of the free-ranging population, with most of its genetic variability, destined for conservation programs. However, under captivity conditions with potential for high concentration of animals, direct contact and stress occur and the appearance, transmission, and severity of diseases could be favored. Therefore, it is necessary to establish health protocols in order to guarantee animal welfare. Spanish Animal Health laws establish specific requirements and preventive measures for controlling diseases in captive populations: sarcoptic mange, tuberculosis, brucellosis and bluetongue are notifiable diseases, and the staff of the reservoir must apply specific diagnostic methods to detect them. The management recommendations presented here may be very useful for other managers involved in the conservation of wild ruminants.
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    Sarcoptes scabiei alters follicular dynamics in female Iberian ibex through a reduction in body weight
    (Elsevier, 2017-08-30) Espinosa, José; Granados, José E.; Cano-Manuel, Francisco J.; López-Olvera, Jorge R.; Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Romero García, Diego; Soriguer, Ramón C.; Pérez, Jesús M.; Fandos, Paulino; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    Normal development of the ovarian cycle is a key factor in ensuring female reproductive success. Sarcoptes scabiei has been shown to induce changes in host physiology, although the effects of this mite on the female reproductive cycle are still unknown. In an attempt to clarify this issue, the number of ovarian structures (primary follicles, secondary follicles, Graaf follicles, corpus luteum and corpus albicans) in female Iberian ibex( Capra pyrenaica) affected by sarcoptic mange was explored by histological analysis of samples taken from 102 females selectively harvested in the Sierra Nevada Natural Space, southern Spain. The effect of mange status, body weight (corrected for age), age and year of sampling on the number of ovarian structures was assessed using generalized linear models. Our results provide evidence that sarcoptic mange alters follicular dynamics through a reduction in host body weight, whose main consequences are noted in follicular maturation and ovulatory capacity
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    Sarcoptic mange in Spanish ibex from Spain
    (Wildlife Disease Association, 1999) León-Vizcaíno, Luis; Ruiz de Ybáñez Carnero, María del Rocío; Cubero, Maria J.; Ortiz, Juana M.; Espinosa, Javier; Pérez, Linarejos; Simón, Miguel A.; Alonso, Francisco; Sanidad Animal
    The Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica) population of the ‘‘Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas’’ Nature Park (Spain) was isolated as the result of a severe epidemic of sarcoptic mange. In this context, the dynamic haracteristics of the disease were analyzed in a wild group consisting of 35 animals from the beginning of the epizootic (when the mating period started) to the extinction of the population due to mange. Monthly tracking permitted the sequential characterization of the pathology in each animal. The duration of the disease was 2 to mo, evolving to severe disease and terminating in death. Incidence and prevalence rates in terms of morbidity and severity, and mortality and lethality were calculated. At the end of the mating season, 81% of the population were affected. There were no statistically significant dif ferences in severity of the disease across sex or age categories of the animals. Most of the carcasses were found in caves used as refuge and/or near rivers or streams. Additionally, 46 of the 63 (73%) ibex captured in different areas of the nature park were naturally infected with the Sarcoptes scabiei. Infected ibex were examined for number of mites during the initial stage of the disease (n 5 3), in the development stage (n 5 12), in the consolidation stage (n 5 17), and in the chronic stage (n 5 14). The prevalence of mites in different anatomical regions was determined in each of these phases of the infection. A histological study of the skin lesions was conducted in 22 animals. Both the clinical and the pathological (macroscopic and icroscopic) aspects of the sarcoptic mange in Spanish ibex corresponded to the classic description of sarcoptic mange in other wild and domestic small ruminants.