| Baylisascaris schroederi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Chromadorea |
| Order: | Ascaridida |
| Family: | Ascarididae |
| Genus: | Baylisascaris |
| Species: | B. schroederi |
| Binomial name | |
| Baylisascaris schroederi McIntosh, 1939 | |
Baylisascaris schroederi is a species of roundworm in the family Ascarididae. It occurs in China and is a parasite of giant pandas. [1] Many wild giant pandas are infected with this parasite. [2] [3]
The giant panda, sometimes called a panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda, a neighboring musteloid. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. Giant pandas in the wild occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.
Baylisascaris is a genus of roundworms that infect more than fifty animal species.
The Qinling panda is a subspecies of the giant panda, discovered in 1959, but not recognized as a subspecies until 2005. Besides the nominate subspecies, it is the first giant panda subspecies to be recognized.
Dioctophyme renale, commonly referred to as the giant kidney worm, is a parasitic nematode (roundworm) whose mature form is found in the kidneys of mammals. D. renale is distributed worldwide, but is less common in Africa and Oceania. It affects fish eating mammals, particularly mink and dogs. Human infestation is rare, but results in kidney destruction, usually of one kidney and hence not fatal. A 2019 review listed a total of 37 known human cases of dioctophymiasis in 10 countries with the highest number (22) in China. Upon diagnosis through tissue sampling, the only treatment is surgical excision.
Plasmodium polare is a parasite of the genus Plasmodium subgenus Papernaia.
Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) is a species of the genus Orthohepadnavirus. It was first discovered in 1977 in a captive population of Marmota monax, but has since been discovered in wild populations in the Eastern United States. Infected woodchucks which are unable to clear the infection inevitably develop hepatocellular carcinoma; this has led to the use of WHV in woodchucks as a model for human Hepatitis B virus infections.
Capillaria aerophila is a nematode parasite found in the respiratory tract of foxes, dogs, and various other carnivorous mammals. A few cases of human infestation have also been reported. Though it is sometimes called a "lungworm", this term usually refers to other species of nematodes. Infestation by C. aerophila is referred to as "pulmonary capillariasis", "bronchial capillariasis," or (rarely) "thominxosis." This parasite has a direct life cycle, meaning that the life cycle can be completed in a single host. C. aerophila usually causes only minor clinical symptoms, such as irritation of the respiratory tract and coughing. However, secondary bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, including pneumonia, may develop in heavy infestations. Treatment with anthelmintics, such as levamisole or fenbendazole, is usually sufficient to cure C. aerophila infestations.
Thelaziasis is the term for infestation with parasitic nematodes of the genus Thelazia. The adults of all Thelazia species discovered so far inhabit the eyes and associated tissues of various mammal and bird hosts, including humans. Thelazia nematodes are often referred to as "eyeworms".
Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis is a species of Streptococcus, initially described by Frost in 1936. As a result of several DNA hybridization studies in 1983, the species was merged into Streptococcus dysgalactiae. Subsequently, S. dysgalactiae was divided into the subspecies Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae. Although the name Streptococcus equisimilis is no longer valid, it is still encountered both in clinical practice, and in scientific journals.
Heterakis is a genus of parasitic nematodes. Members of the genus are minute roundworms (pinworms), hardly 1 cm long, infecting different species of gallinaceous birds, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, grouse, guineafowl, partridges, pheasants, and quail. About 10 species are placed in the genus, but classification is often ambiguous due to their close resemblance, and a number of synonyms have arisen. H. gallinarumSchrank, 1788; H. isolonchevon Linstow, 1906; and H. disparSchrank, 1870 are the best understood species in terms of prevalence, pathogenicity, and biology. They inhabit the lumen of the cecum of the host.
Orthohalarachne attenuata is a species of mite normally found in the nasal passages of fur seals, sea lions, and walruses. In seals, the mites can be both prevalent and abundant. Although clinical observations and gross examination indicate that O. attenuata parasitization alone is not serious, some erosion and inflammation of the nasal turbinates and nasopharynx in seals has been observed in histological sections. If concomitant parasitization with O. attenuata and O. diminuta occurs, alveolar emphysema and more serious ailments can threaten the life of the mammal.
Patricia G. Parker is a North American evolutionary biologist who uses molecular techniques to assess social structures, particularly in avian populations. Her interests have shaped her research in disease transmission and population size, particularly in regard to bird conservation. She received her B.S. in Zoology in 1975 and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology in 1984, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1991 to 2000, Parker was an Assistant and Associate Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at Ohio State University. Since 2000, she is the Des Lee Professor of Zoological Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Alopecia in animals is a condition where locations on the body surface that are typically covered in hair, contain areas where hair is absent, and is a condition that can affect other animals besides humans. Alopecia is a condition that can affect wild organisms and captive organisms, however, the condition tends to be more prominent in captive contexts. Development of alopecia in animals is usually the sign of an underlying disease. Some animals may be genetically predisposed to hair loss, while in some it may be caused by hypersensitivity or nutritional factors. These include Moluccan cockatoos, spectacled bears, hedgehogs, raccoons, squirrels, baboons, and chimpanzees since they share 98% of human genes. Others that are selectively bred to have baldness include rabbits, guinea pigs, Syrian hamsters, mice, rats, and cats. Environmental enrichment has been used in some cases to mitigate certain behaviours that cause hair loss, improve alopecia, and address welfare concerns.
Eustrongylidosis is a parasitic disease that mainly affects wading birds worldwide; however, the parasite's complex, indirect lifecycle involves other species, such as aquatic worms and fish. Moreover, this disease is zoonotic, which means the parasite can transmit disease from animals to humans. Eustrongylidosis is named after the causative agent Eustrongylides, and typically occurs in eutrophicated waters where concentrations of nutrients and minerals are high enough to provide ideal conditions for the parasite to thrive and persist. Because eutrophication has become a common issue due to agricultural runoff and urban development, cases of eustrongylidosis are becoming prevalent and hard to control. Eustrongylidosis can be diagnosed before or after death by observing behavior and clinical signs, and performing fecal flotations and necropsies. Methods to control it include preventing eutrophication and providing hosts with uninfected food sources in aquaculture farms. Parasites are known to be indicators of environmental health and stability, so should be studied further to better understand the parasite's lifecycle and how it affects predator-prey interactions and improve conservation efforts.
Avian Botulism is a strain of botulism that affects wild and captive bird populations, most notably waterfowl. This is a paralytic disease brought on by the Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNt) of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. C. botulinum can fall into one of 7 different types which are strains A through G. Type C BoNt is most frequently associated with waterfowl mortality. The Type E strain is also commonly associated with avian outbreaks and is frequently found in fish species which is why most outbreaks occur in piscivorous birds.
Gasterophilus pecorum is a species of botfly within the genus Gasterophilus that is an obligate parasite of horses and other equids.
Civet SARS-CoV is a coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which infected humans and caused SARS events from 2002 to 2003. It infected the masked palm civet. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is highly similar, with a genome sequence similarity of about 99.8%. Because several patients infected at the early stage of the epidemic had contact with fruit-eating Japanese raccoon dog in the market, tanuki may be a direct source of human SARS coronavirus. At the end of 2003, four more people in Guangzhou, China, were infected with the disease. Sequence analysis found that the similarity with the tanuki virus reached 99.9%, and the SARS coronavirus was also caused by cases of tanuki transmission.
Influenza A virus subtype H10N3 is a subtype of viruses that causes influenza (flu). It is mostly present in wild avian species. The first human case was reported in 2021.
The Formosan ferret-badger is a mustelid species endemic to Taiwan.