SUPPLEMENT TO THE JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES

Charlotte F. Quist, Editor
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Georgia
Athens, GA USA 30602
Telephone: 706-542-5349
Fax: 706-542-5977
E-mail: CQUIST@ADL300.VET.UGA.EDU

 President's Corner:

    Travel to Madison, Wisconsin, in August and attend the annual meeting of the Wildlife Disease Association and mingle with your friends and colleagues along the shore of Lake Mendota. During our annual meeting, we frequently learn about some new and/or exciting wildlife diseases or disease/host associations from around the world. Our WDA student members always provide very stimulating presentations about their research. We enjoy several social evenings and this year we will be able to see a variety of exotic cranes during our Monday evening picnic at the International Crane Foundation. The local arrangement committee has also put together some fun excursions around Wisconsin for post-meeting adventures.  I want to encourage WDA members, particularly new members, to participate in the business of the WDA by attending the business meeting during the program and by volunteering for committees. We need your help and want you to be part of the present and future leadership of the Association. We are also seeking  invitations for subsequent meeting locations and want your input for "really good" locations for our future annual meetings. Our recent meetings have been held in Florida, Alaska, Michigan, California, Ontario (Canada), Texas, and Colorado. We have been missing out on those other nice spots in Canada and United States. We are still trying to secure a location for our next international meeting and welcome any invitations from our foreign colleagues.  The abundance and distribution of some of our wildlife species have increased dramatically over the years, frequently in response to expanded man-made food or habitat resources. Unfortunately, many of these animals become involved in direct or indirect conflicts with humans or their activities. As wildlife professionals, we have to deal with these wildlife/human conflict problems almost daily and many of the solutions are difficult or possibly unattainable. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently trying to address the problem of overabundance of resident Canada geese and to provide an easier process to help solve local problems. A few of the conflict situations result in increased human risk to zoonotic diseases, such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, rabies, and plague. Other situations result in increased wildlife risk from such diseases as Mycoplasma and Newcastle disease or from environmental contaminates. The expanding populations of double-crested cormorants are a good example of a species in conflict. Cormorants have been experiencing explosive epizootics of Newcastle disease in a number of locations, their expanded breeding populations in Lake Erie are competing with and threatening breeding colonies of other water bird species, and their seasonal winter populations have a significant economic impact on the catfish aquaculture industry in Mississippi and other southern states. As wildlife disease specialists, we will need to merge wildlife management and wildlife damage control techniques and expertise with our disease investigational techniques to solve these complex wildlife problems. Robert G. McLean, WDA President
 

The Wildlife Disease Association does not regard the Supplement to the Journal at Wildlife Diseases (Wildlife Diseases     Newsletter) as a citable publication and, therefore, it should not be referenced in the scientific literature.

WDA ACTIVITIES

Last Call!!! 1998 WDA Conference. The 47th Annual Conference of the WDA will be held August 10-13, 1998, at the historic Memorial Union of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. The  meeting will be co-sponsored by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the University of Wisconsin (School of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Environmental Studies), and the International Crane Foundation. As usual, the Editorial board and Council meetings will be held prior to the Conference on Sunday, August 9, and a welcoming reception will be held on Sunday evening. The general sessions will open on Monday, August 10, continue through Thursday afternoon, and possibly Friday morning. The general sessions will include two Symposia: Algal Biotoxins and Amphibian Decline. The student presentation competition will be held early in the week. Posters will be on display Wednesday and Thursday. Social events include a picnic and tour at the International Crarte Foundation on Monday evening, featuring local brews and a variety of Wisconsin cheeses, and the annual wildlife auction on Tuesday evening (don't forget to bring your auction items!). A banquet on Wednesday evening will be followed by music and dancing on the Memorial Union terrace overlooking beautiful Lake Mendota. Madison is easy to get to via flights into the Dane County Regional Airport or by flying to Chicago's  O'Hare Airport and traveling on to Madison via the Van Galder busline which drops off and picks up at the Memorial Union. Various accommodations will be available for conference participants, including inexpensive dormitory rooms, hotels within walking distance of the Memorial Union, and bed & breakfasts in the vicinity. Madison's August weather is warm and humid but beautiful. At the end of the day, the casual campus atmosphere will invite you to enjoy a cool drink while watching the sailboats and a beautiful sunset over the lake. Nearby State Street is a great place to shop and browse through many unique-to-Madison shops or to sip a cafe latte at a sidewalk table. A wide variety of other activities are available to conference attendees and their families, including tours of the Aldo Leopold Reserve; boat trips on Lake Mendota and other lakes surrounding Madison, visits to local Norwegian and/or Swiss communities, the Madison's Children's Museum, and the Henry Vilas Zoo, tours of local Frank Lloyd Wright architectural attractions; and fishing trips on the local lakes or on Lake Michigan. Get ready to join us in Madtown for a great conference in America's #1 place to live!!!!  We have set up an electronic mailbox to correspond with you (WDAmail@usgs.gov) and a web page for more detailed information and a meeting registration form at http://www.emtc.nbs.gov/nwhchome.html.  You can also contact Tonie Rocke, Local Arrangements Chair, at the National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711. USA. Phone: (608) 270-2451; Fax: (608) 270-2415, Email: mailto:tonic%20rocke@usgs.gov. For information on the scientific program or if you have not received ac-  knowledgment of receipt of your abstract, contact Nancy Thomas, Program Chair, WDAmail@usgs.gov.

WDA Student Activities. The Wildlife Disease Association offers several awards to encourage student participation in the Association and our annual conference, and to recognize outstanding student research.  One of these awards, the Terry Amundson Student Presentation Award, recognizes the best student paper presented at the annual conference. For those of you who did not know Terry Amundson, he was a wildlife disease specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 1981 until his untimely death from a car accident in 1987. Terry obtained Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Zoology and Veterinary Microbiology, respectively, from the University of Minnesota, then completed his Ph.D. studying arthropod-borne viruses in wild mammals at the University of Wisconsin. While working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Terry helped forge a Great Lakes disease policy and was involved in reducing disease problems at the state's fish hatcheries. He implemented Wisconsin's fish and wildlife contaminant analysis and advisory programs. Terry was one of the first individuals in Wisconsin to investigate the importance of Lyme disease and its host vector in the state, which led to increased public awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease in humans and animals. Concern over the state's declining wolf population resulted in Terry's discovery that canine parvovirus was a major cause of wolf mortality. He was also involved in projects involving waterfowl and wild turkeys. Terry had a zest for life, and his broad knowledge and love of the natural world is reflected in his numerous accomplishments during his relatively short career. To quote Steven W. Miller who wrote Terry's obituary for the Wildlife Society Bulletin, ". . . [Terry] left management blueprints and guidelines to the growing field of wildlife health. To those who love the wild lands and wild creatures, he left a little of his spirit." In honoring a student each year with an award named for Terry, we attempt to maintain his spirit. [Information obtained from the Wildlife Society Bulletin, 16:Spring 1988.]

Visit Our Website! The website has been moved to a new address to allow for inclusion of the Supplement to the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. In addition to the Supplement, the website contains information on the upcoming annual conference, as well as requirements for publication in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.  We will continually add additional volumes of the Supplement to the site as they are published, which will provide ready access to WDA happenings. Please visit us at:  http://www.wildlifedisease.org/Upper0/default.htm.

HAPPENINGS IN THE FIELD

On-going Chronic Wasting Disease Concerns. On April 9, 1998, chronic wasting disease (CWD) was diagnosed in a captive elk in Nebraska. This discovery follows the confirmation of CWD in two captive elk herds in South Dakota earlier this year. The health of the Nebraska elk, a 4 1/2-year old male that was among a privately owned herd of approximately 150 elk, had deteriorated for about 2 months before it died. Confirmation of CWD was made by the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. The affected elk was born on a farm on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains in     Colorado, but it was on two additional Colorado farms before it arrived in Nebraska at 2 to 2 1/2 years of age. One of the Colorado premises was in the known CWD-endemic region along the Eastern Slope of the Rocky Mountains in northcentral Colorado.
The Nebraska State Veterinarian's Office has quarantined the affected herd, and a hold order was placed on two additional herds in Nebraska that received animals from the affected herd. It also has been determined that elk farmers in four states (IA, IL, TX, WI) have received elk from the infected herd, and these states were notified by the Nebraska Bureau of Animal Industry. Additional tracing may be forthcoming because elk from the affected herd were sold through two auctions in Colorado and Missouri.
A CWD Working Group is being formed in Nebraska to develop Voluntary CWD Management Guidelines to allow for better reporting and surveillance of captive cervid herds. South Dakota has taken legislative action to create a CWD control program for captive cervids requiring a 5-year quarantine with monitoring of all affected, adjacent, or exposed captive cervid herds. The Cervid CWD Surveillance Identification Program includes required examination of brain tissue from all dead cervids 18 months or older, including deaths by slaughter, hunting, illness, and injury. The South Dakota State Veterinarian has forwarded the description of his State's program to the United States Animal Health Association along with the suggestion that it should be considered as a "starting place" for developing a Model CWD Control Program. Persons interested in this document can obtain a copy from Dr. Sam Holland, South Dakota State Veterinarian, SD Animal Industry Board, 411 South Fort Street, Pierre, South Dakota 57501-4503. [Abstracted from the SCWDS Briefs, Vol. 14 April 1998.]

Deer Adenovirus Diagnosis in a Midwestern White-tailed Deer. A captive white-tailed deer from a herd in Iowa has been diagnosed with an adenovirus that is apparently similar to the virus that has caused significant morbidity and mortality in California's black-tailed deer population in recent years.  This doe was found dead without any prior clinical signs and was submitted for necropsy to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University. Significant gross lesions included severe pulmonary edema and pleural effusion. Histologically, the deer had a multisystemic lymphocytic vasculitis and perivasculitis with rare basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies. Dr. Leslie Woods of the California Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Davis, California, confirmed the presence of an adenovirus using immunohistochemistry with bovine adenovirus type 5 antiserum, which cross-reacts with the black-tailed deer adenovirus. No virus isolation was performed on the doe. No additional losses have been reported in the Iowa herd according to the pathologist that diagnosed the case. It is unknown whether the adenovirus found in this white-tailed deer is identical to that which is causing problems in California, but does raise concern over the possible spread of a "regional" disease.

Human Exposure to Brucella abortus Strain RB51. The Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Report (Vol. 47(9) March 13, 1998) posted a concern over possible human exposure to RB51 through unintentional needle sticks and handling of infectious tissues during assisted deliveries or necropsies of infected animals. Since RB51's conditional licensure, there have been 32 reports of unintentional inoculation or conjunctival exposure to the vaccine. Only three of the 32 persons, all of whom were exposed while vaccinating cattle, reported clinical signs that included inflammation at the inoculation site, intermittent fever, chills, headache, myalgia, or mild liver enzyme elevation. RB51 lacks the polysaccharide-O side chain that is present on Brucella abortus making it serologic distinct from field strains of B. abortus and Strain 19. Unfortunately, that antigenic difference also makes it undetectable using the diagnostic assays routinely used in humans. While no reported exposures to RB51 have involved wildlife species, the potential for human exposure to RB51 should be recognized. [Abstracted from MMWR 47(9);  March 13, 1998.]

Passings: Dr. John W. Davis died on February 1, 1998. Dr. Davis was a long-time member of the Wildlife Disease Association and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in 1979. Among his many notable publications, he was one of the editors of several books that are standards on wildlife disease issues including Infectious Diseases of Wild Mammals and the first edition of Noninfectious Diseases of Wildlife.  Dr. Davis retired after 24 years as a professor and research veterinarian at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine where his focus was microbiology and parasitology. Memorials may be sent to the John W. Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund, Virginia Tech, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0442.

DIAGNOSTIC RIDDLE

What is your diagnosis?

This lesion was seen on necropsy of a wild-trapped adult mink (Musteld vison). Four of seven of the randomly captured mink had similar lesions. Based on the location of the lesion (right kidney), what is your diagnosis?

FIGURE 1. Gross photograph of the abdominal cavity of an adult wild-caught mink. The intestinal tract has been removed.

QUARTERLY MORTALITY REPORT

Central Flyway snow geese have died from avian cholera in record numbers this year in Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. More than 27,000 birds, primarily snow geese, have been picked up in Nebraska's Rainwater Basin wetlands where avian cholera mortality occurs each spring. This year's losses represents one of the highest in 16 years. Birds also died in high numbers in agricultural fields in the Basin when a winter storm produced record low temperatures that froze wetlands and moved birds onto feeding areas. Total mortality in the Rainwater Basin may be close to 100,000 birds. Northern pintails     were the second most common species collected, along with white-fronted geese and other dabbling ducks. For the first time since 1981, avian cholera mortality also occurred on wetlands in two counties bordering Nebraska. The severe weather in the Rainwater Basin was responsible for snow geese resuming to Kansas.  More than 5,000 birds were picked up on 3 areas. At the end of March, low level mortality (20-50 birds at each site) was reported in South Dakota on three lakes in the east central county of Kingsbury.
Avian cholera mortality began or continued at multiple waterfowl wintering sites in California during the first few months of 1998. Sites with the most severe mortality included the South Grasslands (state, federal, and private lands) and the Arena Plains Unit of Merced NWR in Merced county, Salton Sea in Imperial and Riverside counties, Eel River Delta in Humboldt county, Pala Slough in Del Norte county, and Grizzly Island Wildlife Area in Solano county. American coots, ruddy ducks, and white geese were the species comprising the greatest proportion of the carcass pick-ups at most of the sites. At Salton Sea, eared grebes, gulls and northern shovelers also figured prominently in the carcass counts. By the end of  February total mortality in the South Grasslands was estimated to be 10,000 to 15,000 birds. At Salton Sea, 7,123 carcasses representing 52 species were picked up since the end of December. Of the birds found sick and dead at Salton Sea 2645 were eared grebes. Some eared grebes are dying of avian cholera, but, as in previous years, the cause of death in many eared grebes is undetermined.
A small avian cholera event occurred at Swan Lake NWR in Missouri in early February. Approximately 200,000 snow geese and 40,000 ducks were in the area. Only 235 goose carcasses were collected; however, with more than 120 eagles in the vicinity the actual number dead was probably much higher.
The fusariotoxicosis event in sandhill cranes, which began in late November in Howard county Texas (reported in the last quarterly), continued into the middle of January killing an estimated 1200 cranes.  Plowing of unharvested or waste peanuts was expanded to include more fields than those targeted in the initial outbreak to help end the event.
Passerine mortality caused by Salmonellosis was reported in 18 states (Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin). Concurrent Salmonellosis outbreaks over a wide geographic area have not commonly occurred in the eastern half of the US. Goldfinches, pine siskins, and redpolls were the primary species affected. Salmonellosis has been confirmed as the cause of death in the birds in all states except Connecticut and Massachusetts. The impact of the salmonella outbreak on affected songbird populations is not known. Accurate estimates of songbird mortality are not available due to the nature of the outbreak and the wide geographic area over which it occurred.
 
 

e = estimate.
* National Wildlife Health Center (NW); Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SC); California Department of Fish and Game-Wildlife Investigations Laboratory (CA); Canadeian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center (CCW); Lake Wildlife Disease Laboratory-Michigan (RLW); New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NY).

Written and compiled by Kathryn Converse and Terry Creekmore, NWHC.  The Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report is also available on the Internet at http://www.emtc.nbs.gov/nwhcchrome.html/.  To report martality or if you would like specific information on these mortalities, contact one of the following NWHC staff:  Eastern US--Kathryn Converse or Kimberli Miller; Western US--Lynn Creekmore or Linda Glaser; Hawaiian Islands--Thierry Work.  Phone (608)270-2400, FAX (608)270-2415 or E-mail kathy_converse@nbs.gov.  National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI  53711.
 

DIAGNOSTIC RIDDLE-Answer:

What is your diagnosis?

Answer:  Giant kidney worm: Dioctophyma renale.
Comments:  Mink are the primary definitive hosts of the nematode, Dioctophyma renale, but the nematode also has been documented in other mustelids and canids including raccoons, otters, coyotes, wolves, foxes, weasels, martens, and domestic dogs (Davidson, W.R. and Nettles, V.F. 1997. Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases in the Southeastern United States, pp. 222-223). Swine, horses, cattle and humans are rarely infected. An aquatic environment is essential for egg embryonation and development of the first three larval stages of D. renale. Mammals are infected by ingesting the infectire larval stages contained in an annelid intermediate host or in frogs or fish which serve as paratenic hosts. The larvae then penetrate the stomach, liver, and right kidney where they mature into adults. The right kidney is the primary location for infection in mink presumably because of the close association of the stomach, right liver lobes, and right kidney (Dyer, N.W. 1998. Dioctophyrna renale in ranch mink. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 10:111-113). Once in the kidney, the adults grow to excessive lengths (up to one meter) and replace renal parenchyma. Any remaining renal tissue undergoes severe degeneration, fibrosis and necrosis. Typically, the adult worms remain within the renal capsule, the left kidney compensates and the mammal remains subclinically infected while shedding eggs in its urine for life. Occasionally, death of the host results when both kidneys are infected or when the nematode migrates into the peritoneal cavity.
Contributor: Kate Lewandowski and Charlotte Quist, Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.  Note: Ms. Lewandowski is a senior veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin who prepared this Diagnostic Riddle while on an externship at SCWDS.

Editor's note: Submissions of Diagnostic Riddles are welcome; please include photographs to illustrate your case. If the answer is unknown or if further comments regarding a case are warranted, WDA membership are encouraged to respond to the Supplement Editor, and pertinent comments will be published in  future editions of the Supplement.

AFRICAN SECTION. For information regarding the African Section, contact Nancy Kock, Department of Paraclinical Veterinary Studies, University of Zimbabwe, P.O. Box MP 167, Mount Pleaseant, Harare, Zimbabwe; telephone: 303211; fax:(263) (4) 333407/335249.

AUSTRALASIAN SECTION. For information regarding the Australasian Section, contact Rosemary Booth, c/o Currumbin Sanctuary, Tomewin Road, Currumbin Beach, Queensland 4223; telephone: (075) 5341 266; fax: (075) 5347 427.

EUROPEAN SECTION. Material suitable for publication in the Newsletter includes news of recent wildlife disease outbreaks in Europe, short ease reports, announcements and reports of relevant meetings in Europe, and job and scholarship announcements. Submissions should be in English, but contributors for whom English is a second language and who send material in basic English or in their own language, will be accommodated as far as possible. Deadline for submission of articles for the next issue (October 1998) is 21 August 1998. Please mail (floppy disk preferred), fax or e-mail submissions to Seamus Kennedy, Veterinary Sciences Division, Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Stoney Road, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland; telephone: +44 (1232) 525701, fax: +44 (1232) 525767,  e-mail: kennedys@dani.gov.uk

LATIN AMERICAN SECTION. For information regarding the Latin American Section, contact Alonso Aguirre, P.O. Box 8291, Honolulu, HI 96830 USA; telephone: (808) 592-8308; fax: (808) 592-8301; e-mail: Alonso.Aguirre@noaa.gov

NORDIC SECTION. For information regarding the Nordic Seetion, contact Hans-Henrik Dietz, Danish Veterinary Laboratory, Department of Fur Animal and Wildlife Diseases, 2 Hangovej, DK-8200 Aarhus N. Denmark; telephone: 45-89-37-24-17; fax: 45-89-37-24-70; email: hhd@svs.dk

WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN SECTION. For information regarding the Wildlife Veterinarians Section, contact Sarah Shapiro Hurley, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster Street, Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921; telephone: (607) 267-7472; fax: (608) 267-7857; e-mail: HURLES@DNR.STATE.WI.US

Note from the Editor: Please send meeting announcements, diagnostic riddles, position and grant announcements, miscellaneous items, etc. for the Supplement to the Journal of Wildlife Diseases to Charlotte F. Quist, SCWDS/Athens Diagnostic Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia  30602; telephone:(706) 542-5349; fax: (706) 542-5977; e-mail: CQUIST@ADL300.VET.UGA.EDU Double spaced typewritten or electronic mail files in WordPerfect 5.1 or Microsoft Word are preferred.  The deadline for submission of articles for the next issue (October 1998, JWD Vol. 34, No. 4) is August 25, 1998.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Assistant Field Veterinarian. The Wildlife Conservation Society is accepting applications for a veteranarian to work in the Department of International Field Veterinary Studies. Primary job responsibilities include, but will not be limited to: providing veterinary services to field conservation projects around the world, working with New York based wildlife health staff, conducting research on wildlife health, training foreign professionals in all areas of wildlife health issues, training field biologists to handle wildlife and collect biomedical samples, writing scientific publications regarding wildlife health, and public speaking.     Required education and experience: doctorate in veterinary medicine or equivalent degree, U.S. veterinary license, 3 years experience in working with wildlife species. Employment contingent on obtaining a N.Y. state veterinary license. Other desirable skills and experiences are: overseas work experience, good interpersonal communication skills. To apply, send curriculum vitae to Human Resources Dept., Box W. Wildlife Conservation Society, 185th and Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY, 10460, U.S.A. The review of applications will begin immediately, and the search will remain open until the position is filled. EOE

TRAINING/EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Ninth International Training Course on Identification of Helminth Parasites of Economic Importance. July6-August 14, 1998. Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom. The course will benefit those engaged in routine identifications of helminth parasites in medical and veterinary laboratories, field work and those involved in training and teaching. Participants from over 50 countries have attended since the course was founded in 1982 by the CABI International Institute of Parasitology. The aim of this applied course is to familarise participants with up-to-date methods of identification of helminth parasites of economic importance. Identification to genus and species levels will be taught and a large part of the course is devoted to practical work and techniques. The course is designed to enable participants to identify important helminth parasites rather than to act as further training for research taxonomists. A certificate of attendance will be awarded on completion of the course. Admission is limited to a maximum of 15 participants. Candidates should have a good working knowledge of the English language and have some experience of working with helminth parasites. A fee of  L2,400 per participant will be charged, payable in advance. This will cover teaching, manual, practical material, administration etc. Board and lodging may be available at the Royal Veterinary College's own Halls of Residence at extra cost. The course will be held at the Royal Veterinary College's Hawkshead Campus situated in the Hertfordshire countryside approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the north of London and is accessible by  rail, car, or taxi. Further information and application forms may be obtained from: Dr. L. M. Gibbons, The Royal Veterinary College (University of London), Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms Hatfield, Herts, AL9 7TA United Kingdom. Tel: (01707) 666208 Fax: (01707) 661464 E-mail: djacobs@nc.ac.uk

1998 American College of Zoological Medicine Certification Examination. September 25-27, 1998. White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, Florida. The American College of Zoological Medicine Certification Examination will be offered at White Oak Conservation Center, Yulee, Florida on September 25-27, 1998. An applicant must be a licensed veterinarian and senior author on at least five refereed publications. Candidates who have completed a two year ACZM-approved post-graduate training program must have an additional year of experience under the supervision of an ACZM Diplomate. An alternate route requiring a minimum of six years post-graduate experience in zoological medicine also exists. A mentor program to assist all candidates is in place
The two part examination consists of a qualifying examination on the first day, which includes the medicine of avian, aquatic, reptilian, mammalian, and wildlife species. Candidates who pass may take the certifying examination in either general zoological (birds, reptiles, and mammals), wildlife, aquatic, or avian medicine offered on the following day. Successful candidates for Diplomate status must pass both the qualifying and certifying examinations.
The deadline for receipt of completed applications is March 31, 1998. For application materials, specific qualification requirements, or other questions concerning ACZM, contact Dr. Michael R. Loomis, ACZM Secretary, Hanes Veterinary Medical Center, North Carolina Zoological Park, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27203, phone (336) 879-7630.

Chemical Immobilization Training/Continuing Education.  Safe-Capture International, Inc. will again present a series of 16 hour Chemical Immobilization Training programs in 1998. This program consists of 12 hours of multi-media, lecture presentations and a 4 hour "hands on" workshop.  Lecture Topics Include: Techniques to minimize capture stress and mortality; Remote delivery technology: pole syringes, short/long range projectors, radio-tracking darts--what works, what doesn't, and why?; Capture Pharmacology: oral/injectable medications; Safe, consistent drug and dosage recommendations; Anesthetic monitoring under field conditions; How to recognize, prevent, and treat immobilization related medical     emergencies; Record keeping/legal considerations; Human safety protocols/protective equipment; Handling accidental human exposure to immobilizing drugs. Workshop Topics Include: Developing proficieney with blowguns, short, and long range projectors; Comparative use of commercial dart systems; and Practical field emergency techniques. Dates and Locations 1998: *Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida: February 28-March 1; *Tampa, Florida: March 3-4, 1998; *West Palm Beach, Florida: March 9-10; *Nazareth, Pennsylvania: March 1~15; *Oskaloosa, Iowa: April 2-3; *Columbus, Texas (near Houston):     April 29-30; San Antonio, Texas: May 2-3; *LaGuardia Airport, New York: May 16-17; Buffalo, New York: May 19-20; *Columbus, Ohio: June 1-2; *Knoxville, Tennessee: June 6-7; *Winston-Salem, North Carolina: July 11-12; *Atlanta, Georgia: July 18-19; *Chicago, Illinois: September 12-13; *College Park, Maryland: September 26-27; *Boston, Massachusetts: Location TBA: October 3-4; *Walnut Creek, California (near Oakland): November 7-8; *Stevens Point, Wisconsin: November 14-15. Registration Fee is $350 Advanced/$400 General. The course is open to anyone interested in learning the technique, and is approved for Veterinary Continuing Education. For a detailed information packet please contact: Dr. Keith Beheler-Amass, Safe-Capture International, P.O. Box 206, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin  53572 (Tel: (608}767-3071; Fax: (608)-437-5287; E-mail: safecaptur@aol.com, Website:  http://www.safecapture.com/)

Continuing Education Available: "Sedation, Immobilization, and Anesthesia of Non-Human Primates": (16 hours). Presented By: Dr. Keith Beheler-Amass, Safe-Capture International, Inc.; Dr. Jan Ramer and Dr. Carol Emerson, Wisconsin Regional Primate Res. Center; Dr. Joanne Paul-Murphy and Dr. Dave Brunson, University of Wisconsin, College of Veterinary Medicine. Topics Will Include:   (For Captive and Free-ranging Conditions): *Human Capture: How to Minimize Stress; *Taming and Training: What's Possible Without Drugs; *Oral Medications *Remote Drug Delivery Methods: The Latest in Equipment and Technology; *Pharmacology for Non-Human Primate Immobilization; *The Use of  Analgesics in Non-human Primates; *Species Specific Immobilization Dosage Regimens and Protocols; *Anesthetic Monitoring for Captive and Field Procedures; *Capture Related Medical Emergencies: Recognizing, Treating, and Preventing Problems!!; *Personnel Safety Protocols: Procedures for Human Exposure to Immobilizing Agents; *The Effects of Immobilizing Agents on Hematology, Blood Chemistry, and Hormonal Studies; *Zoonotic Disease Implications with Chemical Immobilization of Non-Human     Primates; *Developing Ethical Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Protocols.  Dates and Locations 1998: *West Palm Beach, Florida: March 7-8, *San Antonio, Texas: May 2-3; *LaGuardia Airport, New York: May 16-17; *Winston-Salem, North Carolina: July 11-12; *Atlanta, Georgia:  July 18-19; *Chicago, Illinois: September 12-13; *College Park, Maryland: September 2~27; *Boston, Massachusetts: Location TBA: October 3-4; *Santa Ana, Califomia: Santa Ana Zoo: November 4-5;  *Walnut Creek, California (near Oakland): November 7-8. Registration Fee is $350 Advanced/$400     General. The course is open to anyone interested, and is approved for Veterinary Continuing Education.  For a detailed information packet please contact: Dr. Keith Beheler-Amaas, Safe-Capture International, P.O. Box 206, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, 53572 (Tel: (608)-767-3071; Fax: (608}437-5287; E-mail safecaptur@aol.com, Website: http://www.safecapture.com/)

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

3rd International Raptor Biomedical Conference. August 9-11, 1998. Midrand, South Africa. This International Conference is the third in a series of which the first one was held in London (1980) and the second in St. Paul, Minnesota (1988). The conference will be held in conjunction with the 5th World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls (August 4-11) and closed to the International Ornithological Conferenee (August 16-22). The conference will start with practical labs on raptor orthopedics, raptor ophthalmology and raptor rehabilitation techniques on Sunday August 9. The main conference is scheduled for August 10 and 11. Proposals for free communications and posters can be sent to the Chairman of the Scientific Committee: J.T Lumeij, Division of Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine, University Utrecht, Yalelaan 8, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands, e-mail: mailto:J.T.%20Lumeij@ukg.dgk.ruu.nl
For further information on registration, hotel accommodations, the social program and field trips, please contact Local Arrangements Manager De. Gerhard H. Verdoorn, PO. Box 72155, Parkview 2122, South Africa; telephone: +27-11-646-4629/8617; fax: +27-11-646-4631; e-mail: nesher@global.co.za.   He can also be contacted for information on the 5th World Conference of Birds of Prey and Owls. Please consult the websites of the respective conferences: http://www.uniud.it/DSPA/wildvet/rapmed.htm and http://ewt.org.za/raptor/conference/ for updates on the program and registration procedures. For information on the International Ornithological Conference, please contact BirdLife South Africa in Durban, Dr. Aldo Berutti; email: aldo@birdlife.org.za or the website: http://www.ioc.org.za/othr_org.html

47th Annual Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association. August 10-13, 1998. Madison, Wisconsin USA. See full meeting announcement and call for papers under WDA Activities in this Supplement.

Fourth Meeting of Japanese Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. August 23 - 25, 1998. Hokkaido University. For further information on the meeting, please contact Dr. M. Asakawa, Department of Pathology, Rakuno Gakuen University, 582-1 Midori-cho, Bunkyo-dai, Ebetsu 069, Hokkaido, FAX: +81-11-387-5890, E-mail:<askam@rakuno.ac.jp>.

Third International Symposium of Aquatic Animal Health. August 30-September 3, 1998. Baltimore, Maryland. This meeting will be the first major international forum to focus comprehensive attention on a diversity of aquatic animals, including fish, shellfish, marine mammals and sea turtles, from a diversity of habitats including aquaria, aquaculture and the wild. The meeting will be held at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, located in Baltimore's picturesque Inner Harbor. For further information, please visit the symposium website at: www.soml.ab.umd.edu/AquaticPath/isaahweb, or contact Dr. Sarah     Poynton or Ms. Sylvia Lee, Division of Comparative Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 459 Ross, 720 Rudand Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; tel: (410) 955 3273, fax: (410) 502-5068, E-mail: wellfish@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu

Third International Conference of the European Section of the Wildlife Disease Association.     September 16-20, 1998. Edinburgh, Scotland. Contact organizing committee: telephone: +44 131 445  5111; fax: +44 131 445 6235; e-mail: currc@mri.sari.ac.uk

The 7th Annual Mid-western Exotic Animal Medicine Conference. October 10-11, 1998. Manhattan, KS. Topics include medicine, diagnostic techniques, and captive management procedures used in birds, reptiles, rabbits, primates, and big cats (9.5 CE hours). Drs. Joanne Paul-Murphy and Shawn Messonier are among the speakers. Optional wet-labs on "Critical Care of Companion Birds" and "Marketing your Veterinary Practice for Exotic Animals" will also be presented (3.5 CE hours). Info: Dr. James W. Carpenter, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA. Tel:     (785) 532-5690; FAX: (785) 532-4309, e-mail: carpentr@vet.ksu.edu

AAZV/AAWV Annual Conference. October 16-22, 1998. Omaha, Nebraska. The American Association of  Zoo Veterinarians will hold its annual conference in Omaha. Nebraska, October 16-22, 1998, in conjunction with the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. Program sessions include avian, mammalian, reptilian and amphibian medicine, regulations/legislation/zoonotic disease, environmental enrichment/behavioral modification, aquatic species, Australasian species, case reports, computer assisted information management, emerging diseases, wildlife health as a monitor of marine ecosystem health, hot topics in wildlife medicine, reports from the field, northern species/Canadian issues, and a session organized by the World Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. There will also be a poster session, veterinary student and resident/graduate student paper competitions, and workshops/wet labs.
For information regarding session chairpersons, please contact either James Carpenter, DVM, or Keith Beheler-Amass, DVM. Dr. Carpenter may be reached at Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan, KS 66506. Phone (785) 532-5690, FAX (785) 532-4309. E-mail carpentr@vet.ksu.edu. Dr. Beheler-Amass may be reached at Safe Capture International, P.O. Box 206,  Mt. Horeb, WI 53512. Phone (608) 767-3071. FAX (608) 437-5287. E-mail http://www.safecapture.com/ (available January 1998).
For additional conference information please contact Wilbur Amand, VMD, Executive Director/AAZV, 6 North Pennell Road, Media, Pennsylvania 19063, USA. Phone (610) 892 4812. Fax (610) 892-4813.

Second International Conference on Emerging Zoonosis. November 5-9, 1998. Strasbourg, France. The meeting promises to be of interest to investigators interested in zoonosis including veterinarians, infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, pediatricians, general practitioners and health administrators. The conference language is English. For information, contact: S.D. Pitlik, Target Tours Ltd. P.O. Box 29041, Tel Aviv  61290, Israel. Telephone: +972 3 5175150; fax: +972 3 5175155; email: trgt@netvision.net.il

Publications Available!

Bison Ecology and Management in North America. L. Irby and J. Knight, eds. 1998. International Symposium at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. 395 pp. Sponsored by: Montana State University, Extension Wildlife Program, Fish and Wildlife Management Program, Center for Bison Studies, Northwest Section of The Wildlife Society, and the Montana Chapter of The Wildlife Society.  Proceedings available from: Extension Wildlife Program, 221 Linfield Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717 USA. Cost: US$30.00 includes U.S. postage and handling (Intemational add $5.00). Make checks payable to: MSU Extension Wildlife.

Field Manual of Wildlife Diseases in the Southeastern United States. Second Edition. W.R. Davidson and V.F. Nettles, eds. Published by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. This new manual has extensive revisions with updated chapters on toxicoses, white-tailed deer, wild swine, raccoon, red fox, bobcat, opossum, gray squirrel, woodchuck, wild turkey, and bobwhite quail. Three new sections have been added on common disease problems of nongame birds, disease issues related to captive Cervidae, and diseases that have human health implications. Sales will be handled by the AmericanAssociation for Vocational Instructional Materials. Orders can be placed by mail (AAVIM, 220 Smithonia Road, Winterville, GA 30683-9527), FAX (706-742-7005) or telephone (1-800-228-4689). The cost is US$20 plus shipping and handling (shipping charges vary with size of order).

Handbook of Wildlife Chemical Immobilization. Terry Kreeger, DVM PhD. This new book was written for wildlife and zoo veterinarians, wildlife biologists, animal control personnel, and game ranchers.  It is designed as a quick reference guide for field use, but it could also be used as a comprehensive instructional manual. The Handbook contains recommended and alternative drug dosages for 450 species of wildlife worldwide. It includes more than 1,700 references linked to those species. The 340-page Handbook covers legalities of drug use, capture drug pharmacology, drug dosage calculation, animal handling and care, and equipment and techniques. The book also features special, rapid reference sections on both animal and human emergency treatments. The 5.5 x 8.5 inch paperback is available from International Wildlife Veterinary Services, Inc., PO. 37, Laramie, WY 82070-0037 USA for US$35.00 plus US$3.50 shipping and handling per book.

Advances in Trematode Biology. D. Fried and T.K. Graczyk, eds. This book contains chapters by a number of authors on overview of the biology of trematodes, modes of transmission of digenetic trematodes and their control, excystation and cultivation, structure and function of the alimentary tract, reproductive physiology and behavior, physiology and biochemistry of larval trematode-snail relations, host-recognition by trematode miracidia and cercariae, specificity and immunobiology of larval digenean-snail associations, proteases of trematodes, biochemistry of trematodes, trematode neurobiology, immunobiology of trematodes in the vertebrate host, and approaches and applications of molecular biology in trematodes. The book will be available through CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL USA for US$69.95 in the United States or  US$84.00 outside the US.