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Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife species caused by pathogenic fungi are of growing concern, yet crucial knowledge gaps remain for diseases with potentially large impacts. For example, there is detailed knowledge about host pathology and mechanisms underlying response for chytridiomycosis in amphibians and white‐nose syndrome in bats, but such information is lacking for other more recently described fungal infections. One such disease is ophidiomycosis, caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, which has been identified in many species of snakes, yet the biological mechanisms and molecular changes occurring during infection are unknown. To gain this information, we performed a controlled experimental infection in captive Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) with O. ophidiicola at two different temperatures: 20 and 26°C. We then compared liver, kidney, and skin transcriptomes to assess tissue‐specific genetic responses to O. ophidiicola infection. Given previous histopathological studies and the fact that snakes are ectotherms, we expected highest fungal activity on skin and a significant impact of temperature on host response. Although we found fungal activity to be localized on skin, most of the differential gene expression occurred in internal tissues. Infected snakes at the lower temperature had the highest host mortality whereas two‐thirds of the infected snakes at the higher temperature survived. Our results suggest that ophidiomycosis is likely a systemic disease with long‐term effects on host response. Our analysis also identified candidate protein coding genes that are potentially involved in host response, providing genetic tools for studies of host response to ophidiomycosis in natural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to establish a reliable method for the quantification of flubendazole and its metabolite, 2‐aminoflubendazole, in small‐volume canine plasma samples. Following liquid extraction with chloroform, samples were separated by reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography on an XBridge C18 4.6 × 250 mm column (5 μm). Quantification was performed using ultraviolet detection at 246 nm. A mixture of 5 mM potassium phosphate monobasic and acetonitrile (72:28) was used as the mobile phase. The standard curve ranged from 2.5 to 1000 ng/mL. Intra‐ and interassay variance for flubendazole and 2‐aminoflubendazole was less than 6%, while the recovery ranged from 91 to 101%. The lower limit of quantification was 2.5 ng/mL. This method was successfully validated and applied to the analysis of flubendazole and 2‐aminoflubendazole samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dating violence is a serious and prevalent problem on college campuses. Although there is a robust literature documenting that alcohol use is consistently associated with increased risk for perpetrating dating violence, little research has examined the role of cannabis in dating violence perpetration. With increasing legalisation of cannabis throughout the world, it is imperative to understand what role, if any, cannabis may play in the important public health problem of dating violence. In this commentary, we discuss the current state of the research on cannabis and dating violence and suggest avenues for additional research in this area. It is critical that we conduct methodologically sound research on the association between cannabis and dating violence so that we can understand what role, if any, cannabis exerts on this important problem. [Shorey RC, Haynes E, Strauss C, Temple JR, Stuart GL. Cannabis use and dating violence among college students: A call for research. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:17-19]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]