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Avian knemidokoptosis, caused by knemidokoptid mites (Knemidokoptinae: Epidermoptidae), has been reported in wild and domestic birds globally. We report two cases of severe knemidokoptosis in Dunnocks (Prunella modularis) from separate sites in Great Britain, where the disease has previously been reported predominantly in finches and, less frequently, in corvids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two adult Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major) from separate sites in Great Britain were examined postmortem in 2013 and 2016. A Salmonella sp. was isolated from multiple tissues in both birds. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed disseminated salmonellosis. Whole-genome sequencing and biochemical analyses putatively identified both isolates as a novel variant of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Hessarek (S. Hessarek). Salmonellosis has seldom been reported in Piciformes, and never before in association with S. Hessarek infection. These findings, therefore, add to current knowledge regarding the range of wild bird species susceptible to this Salmonella serovar, and our understanding of the pathogens affecting Great Spotted Woodpeckers, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the evaluation of bait distribution strategies for the delivery of an oral vaccine to prairie dogs or Cynomys species against the zoonotic disease plague. It talks about the use of biomarker and rhodamine B. The results of distributing baits around active burrows or along transects at different densities are presented. Also included are the findings of the bait uptake by the four species of prairie dogs and other species of small mammals.

The article discusses study that examined potential mechanisms accounting for survival of a colony Gunnison's prairie dogs in the Aubrey Valley (AV) of northern Arizona. Prairie dogs are highly susceptible to Yersinia pestis, but a colony in AV was able to survive several regional epizootics of plague. The immune responses of the Gunnison's prairie dog to Y. pestis is investigated. The importance of innate immunity is highlighted.

The article presents research on oral vaccination against Yersinia pestis in prairie dogs or Cynomys species. It references a study by Julia Rodriguez-Ramos Fernandez and Tonie E. Rocke published in the same issue of the journal. It examines the use of rhodamine B (RB) as a biomarker to determine the efficacy of oral plague vaccination for animals that consume vaccine baits.