Dataset Information

Opisthotonos and unilateral internal hydrocephalus associated with aberrant migration of Serratospiculum sp. or Serratospiculoides sp. in a prairie falcon.

ABSTRACT: A juvenile, wild-caught prairie falcon ( Falco mexicanus) kept for falconry was presented to a veterinary hospital for intermittent opisthotonos and torticollis. Clinical examination, complete blood count, serum biochemistry panel, and fecal analysis were unremarkable. Clinical signs did not resolve, and the bird was euthanized 6 mo after the appearance of clinical signs. Autopsy revealed a mild, unilateral hydrocephalus and nematodes within the thoracic air sac. Histopathology demonstrated mild, unilateral hydrocephalus; scattered glial nodules; meningeal nematode sections; and meningeal and intraventricular embryonated eggs. Morphology and molecular characterization were consistent with the air sac nematode Serratospiculum or Serratospiculoides spp. Air sac nematode infection can be associated with air sacculitis or pneumonia in falcons. Aberrant migration of air sac filariid nematodes Serratospiculum or Serratospiculoides spp. into the nervous system resulting in clinical disease is rare, but should be included in the differential diagnosis of neurologic diseases in falcons.

SUBMITTER: Van Wettere AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505788 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Opisthotonos and unilateral internal hydrocephalus associated with aberrant migration of Serratospiculum sp. or Serratospiculoides sp. in a prairie falcon.

Van Wettere Arnaud J AJ Kurz Jaqueline P JP Wilhelm Amanda A Ipsen Jay Dee JD

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc 20180523 5

A juvenile, wild-caught prairie falcon ( Falco mexicanus) kept for falconry was presented to a veterinary hospital for intermittent opisthotonos and torticollis. Clinical examination, complete blood count, serum biochemistry panel, and fecal analysis were unremarkable. Clinical signs did not resolve, and the bird was euthanized 6 mo after the appearance of clinical signs. Autopsy revealed a mild, unilateral hydrocephalus and nematodes within the thoracic air sac. Histopathology demonstrated mild ...[more]

PMID: 29790450

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundManagement requires a robust understanding of between- and within-species genetic variability, however such data are still lacking in many species. For example, although multiple population genetics studies of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) have been conducted, no similar studies have been done of the closely-related prairie falcon (F. mexicanus) and it is unclear how much genetic variation and population structure exists across the species' range. Furthermore, the phylogenetic relationship of F. mexicanus relative to other falcon species is contested. We utilized a genomics approach (i.e., genome sequencing and assembly followed by single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping) to rapidly address these gaps in knowledge.ResultsWe sequenced the genome of a single female prairie falcon and generated a 1.17 Gb (gigabases) draft genome assembly. We generated maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees using complete mitochondrial genomes as well as nuclear protein-coding genes. This process provided evidence that F. mexicanus is an outgroup to the clade that includes the peregrine falcon and members of the subgenus Hierofalco. We annotated > 16,000 genes and almost 600,000 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nuclear genome, providing the raw material for a SNP assay design featuring > 140 gene-associated markers and a molecular-sexing marker. We subsequently genotyped ~ 100 individuals from California (including the San Francisco East Bay Area, Pinnacles National Park and the Mojave Desert) and Idaho (Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area). We tested for population structure and found evidence that individuals sampled in California and Idaho represent a single panmictic population.ConclusionsOur study illustrates how genomic resources can rapidly shed light on genetic variability in understudied species and resolve phylogenetic relationships. Furthermore, we found evidence of a single, randomly mating population of prairie falcons across our sampling locations. Prairie falcons are highly mobile and relatively rare long-distance dispersal events may promote gene flow throughout the range. As such, California's prairie falcons might be managed as a single population, indicating that management actions undertaken to benefit the species at the local level have the potential to influence the species as a whole.

Dataset Information

Opisthotonos and unilateral internal hydrocephalus associated with aberrant migration of Serratospiculum sp. or Serratospiculoides sp. in a prairie falcon.

Publications

Opisthotonos and unilateral internal hydrocephalus associated with aberrant migration of Serratospiculum sp. or Serratospiculoides sp. in a prairie falcon.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets