Salvando el ojo: Queratitis bacteriana complicada en León africano (Panthera leo), manejo con Medicina Biorreguladora. Reporte de caso

La queratitis bacteriana se entiende como una infección causada por bacterias que infectan lacapa más superficial de la córnea, alterando la integridad de ésta provocando dolor,incomodidad, opacidad corneal, pérdida de visión y en casos graves la perforación ocular ypérdida del globo ocular si no es tratada a tiempo. Esta patología en felinos silvestres yespecíficamente en León africano (Panthera leo) ha sido poco estudiada y existen pocaspublicaciones realcionadas, por lo que existe un vacío en el conocimiento respecto a similitud odiferencias de esta patología en comparación con felinos domésticos y otros mamíferos. Asímismo, respecto a las posibilidades terapeúticas desde la medicina alópatica y alternativa,sabiendo de antemano que son animales que representan un riesgo para las personas que losmanejan. Este es el caso de una Leona africana (Panthera leo) de más de 12 años de edad(geronte), que se encuentra bajo el cuidado humano en un Bioparque colombiano que en agostode 2018 presento una luxación anterior de cristalino en su ojo izquierdo por lo que tuvo que serintervenida quirúrgicamente por la oftalmóloga; posterior a esto presentó algunascomplicaciones, entre ellas una inadecuada cicatrización y úlceras corneales intermitentes porlo que su córnea se tornó opaca con el tiempo. A comienzos del 2020 la leona venia contratamiento oftálmico para aclarar la córnea y se evidenció una zona deprimida en el centro dela córnea por lo que se sospechó de úlcera corneal (Ojo izquierdo) y se inicia tratamiento consuero heterólogo Tópico; posterior a esto, la leona inicia con signos compatibles con Queratitisbacteriana complicada que pudo ser confirmada días después. Pese al tratamiento antibióticoinstaurado al inicio y el control inicial de la infección, la córnea se evidenciaba muy opaca,defrome con una marcada neovascularización y amenazando con la pérdida de su integridad yel riesgo de perder el globo ocular. Conforme a esto se adiciona al tratamiento medicamentosBiorreguladores que permitieron acelerar el control de la infección y modular de tal manera elproceso inflamatorio y de cicatrización que la córnea al final se observó más clara que comoestaba previamente antes del desarrollo de esta patología evidenciado remodelación completadel tejido corneal y desaparecieron todos los vasos sanguíneos en la córnea de la Leonapermitiendo que a los 3 meses la cornea ya no tuviera protuberancias, deformaciones y sanarapor completo la lesión central y a los 6 meses desaparecieran todos los vasos sanguíneos sobrela córnea devolviendo visión y estética de la Leona. Todo este proceso se logró gracias a lo quese conoce desde la etología como condicionamiento operante con refuerzo positivoimplementado por el área de salud comportamental del Bioparque, lo que permitió que la Leona se dejara aplicar el tratamiento a voluntad sin necesidad de anestesiarla y sin colocar en riesgoal personal. En la actualidad la Leona continúa con tratamiento Biorregulador para lograraclarar aún más la córnea. Conforme a todo lo anterior, este caso motiva a continuar generandoconocimiento en el tratamiento de patologías oculares con el uso de medicamentosBiorreguladores.

Identification and Evaluation of African Lion (Panthera leo) Cub Welfare in Wildlife-Interaction Tourism

African lion (Panthera leo) cubs are extensively used in South Africa in wildlife-interaction tourist activities. Facilities provide close interaction opportunities, but the welfare impacts on the cubs are unclear. A workshop was held with 15 lion-experienced stakeholders, including government officials, nature conservationists, animal welfare organisations, lion breeders, lion handlers, an animal ethologist, wildlife veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitation specialist and an animal rights advocacy group representative. Individual representatives nominated a range of welfare concerns, and 15 were identified for discussion and prioritisation. The leading welfare concern was a lack of governance and regulation within the industry. Participants agreed on nine non-negotiable practices affecting welfare concerns, which included ethical concerns, such as cubs exiting into the ranching industry (farming of lions for hunting) and the bone trade (lions being slaughtered for their bones, which are exported for lion bone wine) once petting age has passed. Welfare concerns representative of current management practices within the lion cub interaction industry were compared for importance using an online adaptive conjoint analysis survey of 60 stakeholders in the industry. The survey identified the most important welfare concerns to be poor social grouping of cubs, an inability for cubs to choose their own environment and retreat from a forced interaction, a lack of trained and dedicated caretakers, and poor breeding practices. The conjoint analysis survey results produced a value model, which can be used as a tool to score cubs’ welfare in interaction facilities, and it identified unacceptable practices lacking welfare consideration.

Monitoring Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Lions (Panthera leo) at the Barcelona Zoo: Viral Dynamics and Host Responses

To date, no evidence supports the fact that animals play a role in the epidemiology of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, several animal species are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Besides pets (cats, dogs, Syrian hamsters, and ferrets) and farm animals (minks), different zoo animal species have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (large felids and non-human primates). After the summer of 2020, a second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in Barcelona (Spain), reaching a peak of positive cases in November. During that period, four lions (Panthera leo) at the Barcelona Zoo and three caretakers developed respiratory signs and tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 antigen. Lion infection was monitored for several weeks and nasal, fecal, saliva, and blood samples were taken at different time-points. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in nasal samples from all studied lions and the viral RNA was detected up to two weeks after the initial viral positive test in three out of four animals. The SARS-CoV-2 genome was also detected in the feces of animals at different times. Virus isolation was successful only from respiratory samples of two lions at an early time-point. The four animals developed neutralizing antibodies after the infection that were detectable four months after the initial diagnosis. The partial SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence from one animal caretaker was identical to the sequences obtained from lions. Chronology of the events, the viral dynamics, and the genomic data support human-to-lion transmission as the origin of infection.

Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma in a White African Lioness (Panthera leo)

Malignant melanomas tend to be locally destructive, aggressive tumours commonly associated with recurrence and/or metastasis. In this report, a 13-year-old captive white African lioness (Panthera leo), with a recent history of intermittent bouts of lethargy and inappetence, presented with a distended abdomen (due to ascites) and a small, round crusty lesion on the ear. An abdominal ultrasound showed the presence of masses on the liver and an exploratory laparotomy revealed multiple pale lesions on the liver and omentum. Histopathology revealed sheets of pleomorphic neoplastic cells compressing the non-neoplastic liver tissue. Similar neoplastic cells had multifocally expanded and effaced omentum adipose tissue, as well as formed a well-circumscribed mass in the ear sample, extending from close to the epidermis to the lateral and deep margins of the section. All three tissue samples had a high mitotic index (15 per 10 HPF), and critically, in the ear sample, there were rafts of neoplastic cells in the lymphatics, indicating lymphovascular invasion. Immunohistochemistry for the melanoma marker, PNL-2, showed strong positivity in all three tissue samples. Thus, the diagnosis was of malignant melanoma with metastasis to the liver and omentum. This is the first report of metastatic cutaneous melanoma in a lion.

SÍNDROME DO IMOBILISMO EM LEOA (PANTHERA LEO LINNAEUS 1758) DE CATIVEIRO – RELATO DE CASO

A síndrome do imobilismo provoca alterações significativas no organismo dos animais que estão doentes e/ou hospitalizados com dificuldades de locomoção por um longo período, e dessa forma comprometendo toda a funcionalidade do animal. Essas alterações podem afetar todos os sistemas do corpo e seus efeitos e suas complicações comprometem a funcionalidade, impedindo por exemplo a interação deste indivíduo no grupo, podendo também modificar o seu estado emocional ocasionando um aumento do estresse. O animal doente e/ou hospitalizados torna-se descondicionado, o que reduz a sua capacidade de executar exercícios e diminui sua tolerância aos pequenos esforços. O prolongado tempo de internação e/ou decúbito, posicionamento com falta de mobilização, ou seja, a não alternância entre os decúbitos, predispõe a modificações anato morfológicas dos músculos e tecidos orgânicos. Estas modificações incluem alterações do alinhamento biomecânico, comprometimento cardiopulmonar, contraturas articulares, diminuição da força muscular, aparecimento de úlceras de pressão e/ou lesões por assaduras e aumento da osteoporose aumentando assim a morbidade e mortalidade.