Deer antlers are costly structures subjected to directional sexual selection that may be sensitive to heterozygosity. However, a relationship between heterozygosity and antler development has only been found for select protein-coding loci and MHC genes in one deer species (the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus). Here, we study the relationship between multilocus heterozygosity at 11 micr...

BACKGROUND Red deer (Cervus elaphus) is regarded as an epidemiologically relevant host for Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and closely related members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex that cause animal tuberculosis (TB). The standard antemortem screening test for the detection of TB in deer is the intradermal tuberculin skin test, but the detection of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) produced by...

Although most commonly associated with the infection of domestic livestock, the replication of pestiviruses, in particular the two species of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), occurs in a wide range of free ranging cervids including white-tailed deer, mule deer, fallow deer, elk, red deer, roe deer, eland and mousedeer. While virus isolation and serologic analyses indicate that pestiviruses a...

The main goal of our study was to determine the prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections in wild cervids living in north-eastern part of Poland. Material used in the study was gathered between the years 2004- 2008. The blood samples from 106 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 32 sika deer (Cervus nippon hortulorum), 130 fallow deer (Dama dama) and 31 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were collec...

Three male F1 hybrids between Père David's deer and red deer were mated to red deer to produce 143 backcross calves. The pedigrees are a rare example of a fertile hybrid between evolutionarily divergent species. We examined the use of these families for genetic mapping of evolutionarily conserved (Type I) loci by testing for genetic linkage between five species-specific protein variants and 12 ...

Deer antlers are the only mammalian appendage capable of regeneration. We aimed to investigate the effect of red deer antler extract in regulating hair growth, using a mouse model. The backs of male mice were shaved at eight weeks of age. Crude aqueous extracts of deer antler were prepared at either 4 °C or 100 °C and injected subcutaneously to two separate groups of mice (n = 9) at 1 mL/day fo...

In late 1986 an official deer hunting regime in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland, was compared with two commerical aerial hunting regimes in the adjacent Stuart Mountains by measuring the density of deer faecal pellet groups. Overall densities in the Stuart Mountains were twice those in the Murchison Mountains. Official hunting appeared to be more effective than commercial hunting at reducing...

In wildlife captive management, contraception is highly desirable due to inbreeding risk and needed control of intra- inter-specific aggressions. Deer, for which surgical castration can cause abnormal growth the antlers, are suitable candidates pharmacological castration. The aim this study was evaluate effect on physiological patterns volatile chemical profiles two deer species. We placed a su...

Wildlife is an important source of many infectious agents for domestic animals and humans. Increasing interactions between humans, animals, wildlife may cause the infection contagious species. Domestic can be easily infected with Salmonella serovars as a result its asymptomatic presence in intestinal flora wild spreading around. The species feces red deer, which member Turkey, was investigated ...

Babesia are tick-borne parasites that are increasingly considered as a threat to animal and public health. We aimed to assess the role of European free-ranging wild ruminants as maintenance mammalian hosts for Babesia species and to determine risk factors for infection. EDTA blood was collected from 222 roe deer (Capreolus c. capreolus), 231 red deer (Cervus e. elaphus), 267 Alpine chamois (Rup...