PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L W Kramer

Publications and source records attributed to L W Kramer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Treatment of gastritis in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Three cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) had a clinical history of chronic spiral bacteria-associated gastritis and three cheetahs had no clinical history of gastritis. Gastric biopsies were obtained from all six cheetahs prior to treatment for gastritis and 3 wk and 1 yr posttreatment. The cheetahs were treated with tetracycline hydrochloride 500 mg p.o. q.i.d., metronidazole 250 mg p.o. q.i.d., and bismuth subsalicylate 300 mg p.o. q.i.d. Each drug was administered concurrently for 7 days. Following this treatment, each cheetah was maintained on 300 mg bismuth subsalicylate p.o. s.i.d. for 1 yr. The three cheetahs with a history of gastritis were culture positive for Helicobacter acinonyx and remained positive during the entire study. The three cheetahs with no clinical history of gastritis were culture negative for H. acinonyx, but gastric biopsies revealed Gastrospirillum-like bacteria (tentatively named Helicobacter heilmannii) pretreatment. Gastric biopsies were negative for H. heilmannii on subsequent examinations. Although the treatment did not eradicate H. acinonyx, it did provide symptomatic relief from the vomiting, anorexia, and weight loss associated with clinical gastritis. The use of endoscopically guided gastric mucosal biopsies for urease testing and histopathologic examination of Warthin-Starry-stained sections is a sensitive and specific method of diagnosing spiral bacteria-associated gastritis. Treatment of spiral bacteria-associated gastritis in cheetahs should include the rational use of antibiotics (tetracycline or amoxicillin and metronidazole), bismuth compounds, and omeprazole and evaluation of husbandry methods to reduce stress.

Acinonyx↗
PubMed1988

Veno-occlusive disease of the liver in captive cheetah.

Liver tissues from 126 captive cheetah were evaluated by light microscopy and histochemistry; eight animals were evaluated by electron microscopy. The main hepatic lesion, a vascular lesion resembling veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver and characterized by subendothelial fibrosis and proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells in the central veins, was seen in 60% of the sexually mature cheetah. Although this hepatic vascular lesion was seen in cheetah as young as 1 year of age, the most severe lesions, usually associated with liver failure, were found in cheetah between the ages of 6 and 11. There was no sex predisposition, and in approximately 40% of the VOD cases, liver disease was not suspected clinically or at necropsy. VOD was found in other felidae, especially in the snow leopard. High levels of vitamin A in livers, as well as in diets of the cheetah, could be a contributing factor in the development of VOD in some groups of cheetah.

Acinonyx↗
PubMed1987

Varicella in a gorilla.

Naturally occurring varicella was observed in a young gorilla in captivity. The isolate was demonstrated to be varicella-zoster virus by restriction enzyme analysis.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Dietary estrogens--a probable cause of infertility and liver disease in captive cheetahs.

The cheetah in the wild is "racing towards extinction" mostly due to habitat destruction. Its survival will probably depend on accelerated captive breeding. At this time, however, reproductive failure and liver disease threaten the future of the captive cheetah population. Histopathological evaluation of more than 100 cheetah livers identified venocclusive disease as the main hepatic lesion responsible for liver disease in this species. Analysis of the commercial feline diet by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed large amounts of two phytoestrogens identified as daidzein and genistein. These compounds were found to be derived from a soybean product that was a component of the cheetah diet, and their concentrations both ranged from 18 to 35 micrograms/g diet. The adult cheetah consequently consumes approximately 50 mg/day of these weak estrogens. When extracts of the diet were tested for estrogenicity using a bioassay, a dose-related increase in uterine weight was observed. In 4 cheetahs studied, withdrawal of this feline diet by substitution with a chicken diet resulted in an improvement in conventional liver function tests and a normalization in the appearance of hepatic mitochondria. We conclude that the relatively high concentrations of phytoestrogens from soybean protein present in the commercial diet fed to captive cheetahs in North American zoos may be one of the major factors in the decline of fertility and in the etiology of liver disease in this species. The survival of the captive cheetah population could depend upon a simple change of diet by excluding exogenous estrogen.

Acinonyx↗
PubMed1984

Extrahepatic biliary carcinoma in sloth bears.

Extrahepatic biliary carcinoma was found in each of 5 adult sloth bears that died between 1970 and 1984 while on exhibit in Ohio zoos. The tumor was characterized by numerous mucin-producing neoplastic glands scattered throughout abundant fibrous stroma. The cause of the tumor was not determined.

Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous↗
PubMed1984

Familial clustering of hepatitis B infections in gorillas.

Two families of gorillas, comprising 13 animals, were studied in 1980-1982 for hepatitis virus infections. It was found that 27% of them had evidence of hepatitis B infection, and 23% evidence of hepatitis A infection. The four parents had been born in the wild and all of them had been infected with hepatitis B. The two patriarchs were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and one had hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg). The two matriarchs had antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen. Three of the four parents had antibody to hepatitis A virus. The two gorillas with HBsAg were retested two years later and shown to be chronic carriers of HBsAg, subtype adw. Both were HBeAg positive at this time. Six of the nine children in the first generation born in captivity had antibody to hepatitis B, but none of them had antibody to hepatitis A. Two gorillas were documented by seroconversion to become infected with hepatitis B, indicating gorilla-to-gorilla transmission. During the course of this study, a recently employed keeper who had the most direct contact with the gorillas experienced an asymptomatic seroconversion to hepatitis B. This study indicates that hepatitis B in gorilla families in captivity may be a model of its behavior in human families, and that close, continuing contact with gorillas may be an occasional source of human infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Pathophysiology of excessive iron storage in mynah birds.

Hepatic iron overload was diagnosed in young and adult Rothschild's mynah birds. By light microscopic evaluation, it was determined that there was progressive accumulation of iron pigment with age in the hepatocytes. The Kupffer's cells of the liver, the reticuloendothelial cells of the spleen, and the phagocytic cells in the small intestine were negative for Prussian blue (iron) pigments. These observations suggested that diet had only a minor influence on the iron distribution in the mynah birds. This was confirmed by comparing iron distribution in the liver and spleen of mynah birds with that in other exotic birds receiving the same diet as the mynah birds. The syndrome of excessive iron overload in the mynah birds shared most of the important histopathologic characteristics with idiopathic (hereditary) hemochromatosis in human beings.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Chromosome identification of the rusty-spotted cat (Felis rubiginosa): one more down and four to go.

The chromosomes of the rusty-spotted cat, Felis rubiginosa, of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) were analyzed. Although the 38-chromosome complement of F rubiginosa closely resembles that of several other species, it seems to be unique with only minor variations in the D and F chromosomes. This reduces, from 5 to 4, the number of the 37 recognized world feline species not yet cytogenetically studied. Despite great differences in size and distribution, the feline species of the world are one of the most homogenous families of mammals, with only subtle chromosomal differences separating most species. By comparative cytogenetic analyses, it is becoming possible to map the probable evolutionary pathway of the world's cats.

Animals↗