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A review of medical records and necropsy reports from 1979-2003 found 40 neoplasms in 26 zoo felids, including five lions (Panthera leo, two males and three females), three leopards (Panthera pardus, two males and one female), one jaguar (Panthera onca, female), 11 tigers (Panthera tigris, three males and eight females), two snow leopards (Panthera uncia, one male and one female), two cougars (Felis concolor, one male and one female), one bobcat (Felis rufus, male), and one cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus, female). Animals that had not reached 3 yr of age or had been housed in the collection less than 3 yrs were not included in the study. Neoplasia rate at necropsy was 51% (24/47), and overall incidence of felid neoplasia during the study period was 25% (26/103). Neoplasia was identified as the cause of death or reason for euthanasia in 28% (13/47) of those necropsied. Neoplasms were observed in the integumentary-mammary (n=11), endocrine (n=10), reproductive (n=8), hematopoietic-lymphoreticular (n=5), digestive (n=3), and hepatobiliary (n=2) systems. One neoplasm was unclassified by system. Multiple neoplasms were observed in 11 animals. Both benign and malignant neoplasms were observed in all systems except for the hematopoietic-lymphoreticular systems where all processes were malignant. Of the endocrine neoplasms, those involving the thyroid and parathyroid glands predominated (n=8) over other endocrine organs and included adenomas and carcinomas. In the integumentary system, 63% (7/11) of neoplasms involved the mammary gland, with mammary carcinoma representing 83% (6/7) of the neoplasms. The rates of neoplasia at this institution, during the given time period, appears to be greater than rates found in the one other published survey of captive felids.

International audience; Bartonella henselae is the main agent of cat scratch disease in humans and domestic cats are the main reservoir of this bacterium. We conducted a serosurvey to investigate the role of American wild felids as a potential reservoir of Bartonella species. A total of 479 samples (439 serum samples and 40 Nobuto strips) collected between 1984 and 1999 from pumas (Felis concolor) and 91 samples (58 serum samples and 33 Nobuto strips) collected from bobcats (Lynx rufus) in North America, Central America and South America were screened for B. henselae antibodies. The overall prevalence of B. henselae antibodies was respectively 19.4% in pumas and 23.1% in bobcats, with regional variations. In the USA, pumas from the southwestern states were more likely to be seropositive for B. henselae (prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.55, 5.11) than pumas from the Northwest and Mountain states. Similarly, adults were more likely to be B. henselae seropositive than juveniles and kittens (PR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.07, 2.93). Adult pumas were more likely to have higher B. henselae antibody titers than juveniles and kittens (p = 0.026). B. henselae antibody prevalence was 22.4% (19/85) in bobcats from the USA and 33.3% (2/6) in the Mexican bobcats. In the USA, antibody prevalence varied depending on the geographical origin of the bobcats. In California, the highest prevalence was in bobcats from the coastal range (37.5%). These results suggest a potential role of wild felids in the epidemiological cycle of Bartonella henselae or closely related Bartonella species.

Two frozen, raw horse meat-based diets fed to captive exotic felids at Brookfield Zoo were irradiated to determine the extent of microbial destruction and whether radiation treatment would affect consumption and/or fecal consistency in exotic cats. Fifteen cats, two African lions (Panthera leo), two Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), one Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), two clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), two caracals (Felis caracal), one bobcat (Felis rufus), and five fishing cats (Felis viverrinus), housed at Brookfield Zoo were fed nonirradiated and irradiated raw diets containing horse meat with cereal products and fortified with nutrients: Nebraska Brand Feline and/or Canine Diet (Animal Spectrum, North Platte, Nebraska 69103, USA). Baseline data were obtained during a 2-wk control period (nonirradiated diets), which was followed by a 4-wk period of feeding comparable irradiated diets. Feed intake and fecal consistency data were collected. An estimated radiation dose range of 0.5-3.9 kilograys reduced most microbial populations, depending on specific diet and microbe type. Irradiation had no overall effect on either feed consumption or fecal consistency in captive exotic cats, regardless of species, age, sex, or body mass. Data indicate that irradiation of frozen horse meat-based diets (packaged in 2.2-kg portions) result in microbial destruction in these products but that product storage time between irradiation and sampling may also affect microbial reduction. However, irradiation would be an appropriate method for reducing potentially pathologic bacteria in raw meat fed to exotic cats.

During a survey of carnivores and omnivores for bovine tuberculosis conducted in Michigan (USA) since 1996, Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from lymph nodes pooled from six coyotes (Canis latrans) (four adult female, two adult male), two adult male raccoons (Procyon lotor), one adult male red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and one 1.5-yr-old male black bear (Ursus americanus). One adult, male bobcat (Felis rufus) with histologic lesions suggestive of tuberculosis was negative on culture but positive for organisms belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex when tested by polymerase chain reaction. All the tuberculous animals were taken from three adjoining counties where M. bovis is known to be endemic in the free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population. There were two coyotes, one raccoon, one red fox, and one bobcat infected in Alpena county. Montmorency County had two coyotes and one raccoon with M. bovis. Two coyotes and a bear were infected from Alcona County. These free-ranging carnivores/omnivores probably became infected with M. bovis through consumption of tuberculous deer. Other species included in the survey were opossum (Didelphis virginiana), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and badger (Taxidea taxus); these were negative for M. bovis.

Minisatellite DNA profiles using the multilocus human probe 33.6 are presented for 27 captive bobcats (Felis rufus) of documented geographic and genetic origins. The results show that 30% of the finger-printing bands present in males are sex linked. The effect of sex on band sharing was attributed to the presence of male-specific hemizygotic bands belonging to a minisatellite cluster located in the nonrecombinant region of the Y chromosome. A combination of mechanisms might drive the dynamics of minisatellite loci and allow different evolutionary rates depending on the recombinational capability of the chromosomal locations involved. We discuss the utility of sex-linked fingerprinting bands as genetic markers for the study and management of bobcats.

A bobcat (Felis rufus) estimated to be 6-mo old exhibited head pressing, stupor, intermittent seizures, and vocalization. Based on gross and histopathologic features, it was diagnosed to have severe focally extensive protozoal meningoencephalitis. Toxoplasma gondii was confirmed as the etiologic agent by an avidin-biotin immunohistochemical test. This is the first report of clinical toxoplasmosis in a free-ranging bobcat.

Thirty feral cats (Felis catus) from Alachua county (northern Florida) and 30 from Palm Beach county (southern Florida) were examined for hookworms. Two species, Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Ancylostoma braziliense, were identified. Forty-five cats (75%) were infected with A. tubaeforme, with a mean intensity of 48 hookworms per cat. Twenty cats (33%) were infected with A. braziliense, with a mean intensity of 28 worms per cat. The prevalence of A. tubaeforme was greater than that of A. braziliense in Alachua (P=0.002) and Palm Beach (P=0.004) counties. The intensity of A. tubaeforme infections was higher in Palm Beach county than Alachua county (P=0.013). The intensities of A. tubaeforme and A. braziliense were positively correlated (increased together) in Palm Beach county (P=0.011). These hookworms have also been identified in bobcats (Felis rufus), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Florida. The prevalence of A. tubaeforme was significantly greater in feral cats than those reported in bobcats (P

An 11-mo-old captive-bred male neutered bobcat (Felis rufus) presented with lethargy, anorexia, leukopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, and nonregenerative anemia. The animal was diagnosed as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) positive by immunofluorescent antibody and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) testing. It died despite supportive care. Pathologic examination revealed multifocal non-suppurative encephalitis, diffuse interstitial pneumonia, multifocal hepatocellular necrosis, non-suppurative peritonitis, and lymphoid depletion. FeLV was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, bone marrow, spleen, and lymph node. FeLV-specific gag sequences were amplified by DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and aligned with known domestic cat FeLV's. The source of the virus was speculated to be a domestic cat that was a surrogate nurse. Case reports of FeLV in nondomestic felids are few, and FeLV does not appear to be enzootic in wild felids, except European wildcats (Felis silvestris) in France and Scotland. Introduction of FeLV into free-living and captive nondomestic felid populations could have serious consequences for their health and survival. Measures to prevent the introduction of this virus to nondomestic felids are warranted.

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are highly species- and site-specific pathogens of stratified squamous epithelium. Although PV infections in the various Felidae are rarely reported, we identified productive infections in six cat species. PV-induced proliferative skin or mucous membrane lesions were confirmed by immunohistochemical screening for papillomavirus-specific capsid antigens. Seven monoclonal antibodies, each of which reacts with an immunodominant antigenic determinant of the bovine papillomavirus L1 gene product, revealed that feline PV capsid epitopes were conserved to various degrees. This battery of monoclonal antibodies established differential expression patterns among cutaneous and oral PVs of snow leopards and domestic cats, suggesting that they represent distinct viruses. Clinically, the lesions in all species and anatomic sites were locally extensive and frequently multiple. Histologically, the areas of epidermal hyperplasia were flat with a similarity to benign tumors induced by cutaneotropic, carcinogenic PVs in immunosuppressed human patients. Limited restriction endonuclease analyses of viral genomic DNA confirmed the variability among three viral genomes recovered from available frozen tissue. Because most previous PV isolates have been species specific, these studies suggest that at least eight different cat papillomaviruses infect the oral cavity (tentative designations: Asian lion, Panthera leo, P1PV; snow leopard, Panthera uncia, PuPV-1; bobcat, Felis rufus, FrPV; Florida panther, Felis concolor, FcPV; clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, NnPV; and domestic cat, Felis domesticus, FdPV-2) or skin (domestic cat, F. domesticus, FdPV-1; and snow leopard, P. uncia, PuPV-2).

During a survey for tuberculosis in wild carnivores and omnivores, Mycobacterium bovis was cultured from pooled lymph nodes of three adult female coyotes (Canis latrans) harvested by hunters in Michigan (USA). No gross or histologic lesions suggestive of tuberculosis were seen in these animals. One coyote was taken from Montmorency county and two coyotes from Alcona county located in the north-eastern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula where free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been found infected with bovine tuberculosis. It is thought that these coyotes became infected with M. bovis through the consumption of tuberculous deer. Other species included in the survey were the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), bobcat (Felis rufus), and badger (Taxidea taxus).

In order to determine the importance of wild felids in the epidemiology of Bartonella spp. infection, 136 Nobuto strips or serum samples from free-ranging mountain lions (Felis concolor) and bobcats (Felis rufus) captured in California (USA) between 1985 and 1996 were tested for B. henselae antibodies (titeror = 1:64) using an immunofluorescence test. Similarly, 124 serum samples from 114 captive wild cats representing 26 species or subspecies collected between 1991 and 1995 were retrieved from the serum banks of four California zoological parks. Fifty-three percent (33/62) of the bobcats, 35% (26/74) of the mountain lions, and 30% (34/114) of the captive wild felids (genera Acinonyx, Panthera and Felis) had B. henselae antibodies. In captive wild felids, prevalence varied widely among the species, but seropositivity was more likely to occur in the genus Felis than in the genus Acinonyx or Panthera. Prevalence was evenly distributed between sexes, except for free-ranging mountain lions. Antibody prevalence ranged from 25% in 0- to 2-yr-old captive felids to 35% in catsor = 9-yr-old, but the highest antibody titers were observed in cats5-yr-old.

Notoedric mange was diagnosed in a free-ranging adult male ocelot (Felis pardalis) found dead in April 1994 in southern Texas (USA). The emaciated carcass had no body fat. The heart was enlarged and flaccid. There was a nonpurulent serosanguineous pericardial and peritoneal exudate. Severe encrusted skin lesions and alopecia extended from the head posteriorly to the shoulders. The forelegs and feet were less severely affected. We observed a massive infection of Notoedres cati in skin scrapings. Epidermal lesions included hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis with necrotic debris and foci of acute inflammatory cells surrounding mites and their eggs in the stratum corneum. There was mild acanthosis and spongiosis of the stratum germativum, but no chronic inflammation in the dermis. This is the first confirmed case in the ocelot, but notoedric manage has been reported from the bobcat (Felis rufus) in southern Texas. Thus, notoedric mange could pose an additional threat to the already endangered remnant population of the ocelot.

Ixodid ticks were present in all 189 samples examined from 53 Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi, 104 collections) and 85 bobcats (Felis rufus floridana) in Florida (USA) between 1974 and 1991. We identified 3,251 ticks from panthers and 918 from bobcats. Specimens of Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes scapularis, I. affinis, Amblyomma maculatum, and A. americanum were present on 49, 39, 17, seven, and two of the 53 Florida panthers, respectively, and comprised 36%, 55%, 7%, 1%, and

We immobilized 10 ocelots (Felis pardalis), and 21 bobcats (F. rufus) in south Texas (USA) during March to November 1991 with a mixture of ketamine hydrochloride (KH) and xylazine hydrochloride (XH); two ocelots were immobilized twice. Species were immobilized with (mean +/- SE) 14.7 +/- 1.6 mg KH/kg body mass for ocelots, 13.3 +/- 1.8 mg KH/kg for bobcats, and 1.1 +/- 0.1 mg XH/kg and 1.2 +/- 0.1 mg XH/kg for ocelots and bobcats, respectively. Immobilization times in bobcats were longer (P = 0.08) than in ocelots. Adult female ocelots (18.5 +/- 2.6 mg/kg) needed larger (P0.05) doses of KH than adult males (12.0 +/- 1.7 mg/kg). Bobcats were immobilized during summer with lower initial (8.6 +/- 0.9 mg/kg, P0.001) and total (10.1 +/- 1.3 mg/kg, P = 0.02) doses of KH than bobcats immobilized in winter (14.5 +/- 1.0 mg/kg, and 18.5 +/- 3.8 mg/kg, respectively); summer immobilization times (44.3 +/- 3.8 min) were also shorter (P = 0.03) than during winter (59.1 +/- 5.2 min). Bobcats immobilized during summer had lower (P0.01) initial rectal temperatures (39.4 +/- 0.2 C) than bobcats trapped in winter (41.1 +/- 0.4 C). Overall, we observed no effects of KH-XH dose on body temperature.

Sarcocysts were found in the tongue, diaphragm, heart, intestinal tunica muscularis, and skeletal muscle of bobcats (Felis rufus floridanus) collected in Florida (USA). The tongue was found to be the best indicator tissue for sarcocysts (P less than 0.005). Thirty of 60 bobcats screened were found to contain sarcocysts in at least one of the muscle tissues examined. Of the positive bobcats, 28 of 28 tongues contained sarcocysts, while only 10 of 27 (37%), and 8 of 26 (31%) contained sarcocysts in the diaphragm or cardiac muscle, respectively. Although immune suppression has been suggested as a possible reason for formation of sarcocysts in some carnivores, no such correlation was evident in the bobcats. Comparisons of prey species taken by the panther and bobcat, and overlap of geographical range by the two species leave questions as to the source of infection, and the species of Sarcocystis that is infecting both felids.

A laboratory cat died 12 days after intraperitoneal inoculation of a 1 ml suspension containing 1.5 x 10(6) blood mononuclear cells from a Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi). Gross, histologic and ultrastructural investigations revealed the cause of death to be infection by Cytauxzoon felis, a protozoal parasite known to cause a rapidly fatal disease (cytauxzoonosis) in domestic cats. The bobcat (Felis rufus) has been identified as a natural host for C. felis. This report implicates the Florida panther as another possible host for C. felis.

Two of five bobcats (Felis rufus) from southwestern Arkansas had natural pulmonary infections of Paragonimus kellicotti and Filaroides rostratus. Pairs of P. kellicotti were found in spherical cyst-like structures approximately 1 cm in diameter. Filaroides rostratus were seen as serpentine pale white areas on the pleural surface and also firmly embedded in fibrous capsules in the pulmonary parenchyma. Histologic lesions associated with the presence of these parasites consisted primarily of a verminous bronchitis. Clinical signs or compromised pulmonary function were not associated with these infections.

A fatal case of notoedric mange is described in an adult male bobcat, Felis rufus, from south Texas. This cat was extremely weak and emaciated. Skin lesions consisted of greatly thickened, gray encrustations and alopecia of the muzzle, eyes, crown, ears and parietal scalp extending down the neck to the midscapular region of the shoulders. Histologically, there was partial to complete excoriation of the stratum corneum with erosions into the stratum germinativum to the level of the dermis in some areas. Numerous specimens of Notoedres cati (Hering, 1838) were noted, usually in the stratum corneum, sometimes burrowing into the stratum germinativum. A mild dermal inflammatory response consisting principally of neutrophils and round cells was observed. Confirmed notoedric mange with clinical signs similar to the above was also observed by a local veterinarian in three bobcat kittens from the same area. These were treated with a sulfurated lime shampoo followed by VIP dip. Subsequently, they recovered without consequence. These cases emphasize the possibility of notoedric mange as a potential epizootic disease in wild felid populations.

Aortic lesions pathognomonic for Spirocerca lupi were found in 123 of 150 (82%) coyotes. Canis latrans. 23 of 66 (35%) bobcats. Felis rufus, one of five gray foxes, Urocyon cinereoargenteus and one of two red foxes. Vulpes vulpes, examined in West Texas. Adult nematodes in the esophagus were recovered from 11 of 150 (7%) coyotes. In the aorta there was initially an acute inflammatory response followed by an eosinophilic granuloma surrounding larval nematodes. The principal lesion was scarring of the aorta with replacement of clastic tissue with collagen. There was blockage of the intervertebral arteries, pitting and formation of granulomatous nodules on the intimal surface and scarring with diverticula and aneurysms in affected animals. The response to adult nematodes in the esophagus was usually a small eosinophilic granuloma surrounding the worms. There was no evidence of esophageal sarcoma or spondylosis deformans of thoracic vertebrae as reported in the dog.

Hematology and serum chemistry values were determined for 27 (18 male, 9 female) wild-caught bobcats (Felis rufus Schreber) greater than or equal to 1.0 yr old from northcentral Minnesota. Most blood parameters were similar to normal values for both captive bobcats and domestic cats. Deviations from these normals were likely the result of capture stress, nutritional status, and/or reproductive condition.

The prevalence of Sarcocystis in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O. hemionus) in South Dakota was determined through microscopic examination of tongue samples. The percentage of Sarcocystis infection for both species of deer was determined for prairies east of the Missouri River, west of the Missouri River, and Black Hills of western South Dakota. Sixteen percent (N = 62) of the white-tailed deer tongues from East River, 69% (N = 42) from West River, and 74% (N = 23) from the Black Hills were infected. Prevalence for mule deer was 88% (N = 24), 78% (N = 63), and 75% (N = 12) from East River, West River, and the Black Hills, respectively. Of 50 tongue samples obtained from both species of deer during a special antlerless deer hunt in the Black Hills in 1978, 66% were infected. Coyotes (Canis latrans), dogs (Canis familiaris), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Felis rufus), and raccoon (Procyon lotor) were fed muscle from white-tailed deer and mule deer naturally infected with Sarcocystis to determine their role as definitive hosts. All coyotes, dogs, and the gray fox shed sporocysts, while none were recovered from the other animals. Sporocysts shed by coyotes were counted and concentrated into an inoculum and administered to a white-tailed deer fawn, which was necropsied 85 days after inoculation. Sections of heart, tongue, esophagus, diaphragm, and skeletal muscle were found to be heavily infected with sarcocysts, while sarcocysts were not detected in a control fawn.

A total of 143 bobcats (Felis rufus) from West Virginia and 10 bobcats from Georgia was examined for parasites and selected infectious agents. A total of 31 species of parasites was recovered including 1 protozoan, 1 trematode, 4 cestodes, 1 acanthocephalan and 24 nematodes. Results indicate bobcats are important definitive hosts for Sarcocystis sp. and Toxoplasma gondii. Thirteen species (Paragonimus kellicotti, Spirometra mansonoides, Taenia macrocystis, T. rileyi, Capillaria putorii, Toxascaris leonina, Toxocara mystax, Ancylostoma braziliense, A. tubaeforme, Oslerus rostratus, Molineus barbatus, Physaloptera rara, and Troglostrongylus wilsoni) were considered common components of the helminth fauna of southeastern bobcats. Host age and/or host density had significant relationships (P less than or equal to 0.05) to the prevalences of infection of some parasites. Salmonella spp. were isolated from six bobcats, and Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from a single bobcat. Bobcat populations studied did not have overt clinical parasitism or disease during the fall and winter.

Cylicospirura felineus (Chandler 1925) Sandground 1933 is redescribed from the bobcat (Felis rufus (Schreber)) and Canada lynx (Felis canadensis (Kerr)) in Texas and Alberta, respectively. This species produces large granulomas in the pyloric stomach. Histologically, these are characterized by a cavernous center containing necrotic debris, adult nematodes, eggs, and inflammatory cells. Peripherally there is a disruptive granuloma with layers of collagen surrounding islets of eosinophils, plasma cells, histiocytes, fibroblasts, and lymphocytes. These lesions are principally confined to the submucosa, but communicate to the mucosal surface via a small orifice. A second species, Cyathospirura chevreuxi (Seurat 1913) Baylis 1934, is redescribed from the bobcat in Texas. Although primarily a lumen parasite, this species frequently occurs in the nodular lesions formed by C. felineus. A new host record is established for Didelphonema longispiculata (Hill 1939) Wolfgang 1953 from the bobcat in Texas. The taxonomy, host–parasite relationships, and pathology of these and related species are discussed.

Eight bobcats with adjoining or overlapping home ranges were examined. Hematological values were within previously reported ranges. Six bobcats demonstrated antibody titers to Toxoplasma gondii. Isospora spp., Taenia taeniaeformis, Spirometra mansoides, Physoloptera rara, Toxocara cati, Strongyloides spp., Trichurus spp., Capillaria spp., and Ancyclostoma spp. were found also in the animals examined. The mean number of parasite species per host was 4.1. All bobcats tested negative for serum antibodies to Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii). Two bobcats had titers less than or equal to 1:20 for tularemia (Francisiella tularensis), and two were positive for leptospirosis (Leptospira spp.).