Namibian farmland cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) demonstrate seronegativity for antibodies against Bacillus anthracis

Serological and microbiological evaluation of the health status of free-ranging and captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on Namibian farmland

Summary of the Master thesis of Anne-Sophie Blanc: An advanced method to assess the diet using scats of free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) living on Namibian farmland

Namibia hosts the worldwide largest free-ranging cheetah population (Marker-Kraus et al. 1996) with 95% of this population roaming outside of protected areas on commercial farmland (Morsbach 1987, Marker-Kraus & Schumann 1998). Commercial livestock farming and trophy hunting have a large economic importance in Namibia and generate substantial income (Marker-Kraus et al. 1996, Barnes et al. 2001...

Naturally acquired anthrax antibodies in a cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Botswana.

An outbreak of anthrax in the Jwana Game Reserve in Jwaneng, Botswana, was first observed when three cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) died of the disease in November 2004. In the aftermath of this event, banked serum samples collected from 23 wild-caught cheetahs were examined, by the inhibition enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), for antibodies to the protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis. O...

Extrinsic factors significantly affect patterns of disease in free-ranging and captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) populations.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been considered a paradigm for disease vulnerability due to loss of genetic diversity. This species monomorphism has been suspected to be the basis for their general poor health and dwindling populations in captivity. North American and South African captive populations have high prevalences of hepatic veno-occlusive disease, glomerulosclerosis, gastritis, and...

Seroprevalences to viral pathogens in free-ranging and captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) on Namibian Farmland.

Cheetah populations are diminishing rapidly in their natural habitat. One reason for their decline is thought to be a high susceptibility to (infectious) diseases because cheetahs in zoos suffer from high disease-induced mortality. Data on the health status of free-ranging cheetahs are scarce, and little is known about their exposure and susceptibility to infectious diseases. We determined sero...