Infectious and parasitic diseases of captive carnivores, with special emphasis on the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).

Plague in a black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes).

Diagnosis of sylvatic plague in a captive black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) was based on gross and microscopic lesions, fluorescent antibody tests, culture of Yersinia pestis, and immunohistochemistry. Gross lesions consisted of acute hemorrhage and necrosis associated with cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes, subcutaneous hemorrhages, and pulmonary edema. Acute edema, hemorrhage, and necr...

Documentation of the Black-Footed Ferret, Mustela nigripes on the Standing RockIndian Reservation, Mobridge, South Dakota

Vaccination with F1-V fusion protein protects black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) against plague upon oral challenge with Yersinia pestis.

Previous studies have established that vaccination of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) with F1-V fusion protein by subcutaneous (SC) injection protects the animals against plague upon injection of the bacterium Yersinia pestis. This study demonstrates that the F1-V antigen can also protect ferrets against plague contracted via ingestion of a Y. pestis-infected mouse, a probable route for...

In ̄uence of prerelease experience on reintroduced black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes)

Captive breeding is increasingly being used to create supplies of endangered animals for release into natural habitats, but rearing strategies vary and debates arise over which methods are most ecient. We assessed postrelease behaviors and survival of three groups of black-footed ferrets, each with di€erent prerelease experience. Eighteen ferret kits 60 days of age were moved with their dams f...

Genetic diversity and fitness in black-footed ferrets before and during a bottleneck.

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is an endangered North American carnivore that underwent a well-documented population bottleneck in the mid-1980s. To better understand the effects of a bottleneck on a free-ranging carnivore population, we used 24 microsatellite loci to compare genetic diversity before versus during the bottleneck, and compare the last wild population to two historica...