@article{dannemiller_watson_christiansen_westmoreland_2024, title={Traumatic telson avulsion and attempted external stabilization in Atlantic horseshoe crabs (<i>Limulus polyphemus</i>)}, ISSN={["1098-2361"]}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21818}, abstractNote={AbstractAtlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are prevalent in public aquarium touch pools. Despite their popularity, the literature concerning medical management under managed care is sparse. Noninfectious conditions include trauma to the exoskeleton and compound eyes; however, injury to the soft tissue connecting the telson and opisthosoma has not been previously reported. This report describes telson avulsion in three Atlantic horseshoe crabs at a public aquarium and attempted external stabilization with a vascular silicone tie in two of three affected animals. The horseshoe crab that received no veterinary intervention suffered a complete telson amputation 1 month after the initial injury. Although the two other horseshoe crabs did well postoperatively, and external stabilization prevented further avulsion or amputation, they still could not right themselves if flipped into dorsal recumbency. All three horseshoe crabs were ultimately euthanized due to animal welfare concerns. To avoid potentially serious telson ligament injury, horseshoe crabs should never be picked up by the telson. The authors recommend that telson ligament injuries be addressed promptly, any inciting cause be mitigated, and external stabilization be considered earlier.}, journal={ZOO BIOLOGY}, author={Dannemiller, Nicholas G. and Watson, Kaitlen M. and Christiansen, Emily F. and Westmoreland, Lori S.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{dannemiller_cray_westmoreland_christiansen_2023, title={Diagnostic agreement between three point-of-care glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate meters and reference laboratory methods in stingrays}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2297-1769"]}, DOI={10.3389/fvets.2023.1254340}, abstractNote={Point-of-care (POC) glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) meters can potentially provide rapid insight into an elasmobranch’s metabolic state in clinical and field research settings. This study evaluated the diagnostic agreement of three commercial POC meters against reference laboratory methods for glucose and β-HB concentrations in stingrays. Blood was collected during anesthetized exams from 28 stingrays representing four species: cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus), Atlantic stingrays (Hypanus sabina), southern stingrays (Hypanus americanus), and yellow stingrays (Urobatis jamaicensis). Glucose and β-HB concentrations were measured with each POC meter using whole blood and plasma; in parallel, plasma glucose and β-HB concentrations were measured via reference laboratory methods. Agreement between POC meters and reference laboratory methods was assessed using Bland–Altman methods, Passing-Bablok regression, observed total error, percent relative error, and linear mixed effect models. Plasma glucose and β-HB concentrations determined by reference laboratory methods ranged from <20–63 mg/dL to 0.05–5.38 mmol/L, respectively. One human POC meter—the Precision Xtra—showed the greatest agreement with reference laboratory methods when measuring glucose with whole blood [mean bias and 95% CI: 0 (−3–4) mg/dL] and β-HB with plasma [mean bias and 95% CI: 0.1 (−0.04–0.2) mmol/L]. Stingray sex, weight, buffy coat, and packed cell volume did not significantly affect the agreement between POC meters and reference laboratory methods. Across all three POC meters, mean bias and imprecision for plasma β-HB concentrations were relatively small (0–0.1 mmol/L and 0%, respectively). Utilizing POC meters to measure glucose and β-HB in stingrays may be viable when reference methods are unavailable.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE}, author={Dannemiller, Nicholas G. and Cray, Carolyn and Westmoreland, Lori S. and Christiansen, Emily F.}, year={2023}, month={Dec} }
 @article{westmoreland_stoskopf_sheppard_deperno_gould_olfenbuttel_maggi_2019, title={Detection and Prevalence of Babesia spp. in American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) from Eastern and Western North Carolina, USA}, volume={55}, ISSN={0090-3558}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/2018-06-164}, DOI={10.7589/2018-06-164}, abstractNote={Blood samples collected from American black bears ( Ursus americanus) in eastern and western North Carolina, US, were analyzed for piroplasms. Piroplasmids were detected in 17% (23/132) of the animals surveyed. We detected a Babesia spp. previously identified in North American raccoons ( Procyon lotor) and a maned wolf ( Chrysocyon brachyurus); prevalence was 22% (14/64) and 13% (9/68) in the mountain and coastal black bear populations, respectively. The presence of the same Babesia species in black bears, raccoons, and a maned wolf suggests piroplasms may not be host specific.}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Wildlife Diseases}, publisher={Wildlife Disease Association}, author={Westmoreland, Lori S. H. and Stoskopf, Michael K. and Sheppard, Erica and DePerno, Christopher S. and Gould, Nicholas P. and Olfenbuttel, Colleen and Maggi, Ricardo G.}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={678} }
 @article{westmoreland_archibald_christiansen_broadhurst_stoskopf_2019, title={THE MESOPTERYGIAL VEIN: A RELIABLE VENIPUNCTURE SITE FOR INTRAVASCULAR ACCESS IN BATOIDS}, volume={50}, ISSN={["1937-2825"]}, DOI={10.1638/2018-0137}, abstractNote={Intravascular access in batoid species is commonly achieved using the ventral coccygeal or radial wing vessels. However, these approaches can be difficult because of the presence of cartilage, lack of specific landmarks, species variation, and small vessel size in many species. This study used postmortem contrast radiography and gross dissection to develop landmarks for a new, dependable vascular access in three Myliobatiform species commonly maintained in captivity: Atlantic stingray (Hypanus sabinus), cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus), and smooth butterfly ray (Gymnura micrura). The mesopterygial vein provides quick vascular access and is suitable for administration of large fluid volumes and intravascular drugs. It is located immediately ventrolateral to the metapterygium cartilage, which sits adjacent to the coelomic cavity and supports the caudal half of the pectoral fin. Using the pectoral girdle and cranial third of the metapterygium cartilage as landmarks, vascular access can be achieved by directing a needle medially at approximately a 30° (adult cownose rays) or 45° angle (Atlantic stingrays, juvenile cownose rays, smooth butterfly rays) toward the metapterygium cartilage. Differences in the degree of needle direction are due to species and age-specific shapes of the metapterygium cartilage. The mesopterygial vein is an alternate site of quick and reliable venous access in batoid species.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE}, author={Westmoreland, Lori S. H. and Archibald, Kate E. and Christiansen, Emily F. and Broadhurst, Heather J. and Stoskopf, Michael K.}, year={2019}, month={Jun}, pages={369–374} }
 @article{westmoreland_niemuth_gracz_stoskopf_2017, title={Altered acrylic acid concentrations in hard and soft corals exposed to deteriorating water conditions}, volume={2}, url={https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/facets-2016-0064}, DOI={10.1139/facets-2016-0064}, abstractNote={ A reliable marker of early coral response to environmental stressors can help guide decision-making to mitigate global coral reef decline by detecting problems before the development of clinically observable disease. We document the accumulation of acrylic acid in two divergent coral taxa, stony small polyp coral ( Acropora sp.) and soft coral ( Lobophytum sp.), in response to deteriorating water quality characterized by moderately increased ammonia (0.25 ppm) and phosphate (0.15 ppm) concentrations and decreased calcium (360 ppm) concentration, using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR)-based metabolomic techniques. Changes in acrylic acid concentration in polyp tissues free of zooxanthellae suggest that acrylic acid could be a product of animal metabolism and not exclusively a metabolic by-product of the osmolyte dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in marine algae or bacteria. Our findings build on previously documented depletions of acrylic acid in wild coral potentially correlated to temperature stress and provide additional insight into approaches to further characterize the nature of the metabolic accumulation of acrylic acid under controlled experimental conditions. }, journal={FACETS}, publisher={Canadian Science Publishing}, author={Westmoreland, Lori S.H. and Niemuth, Jennifer N. and Gracz, Hanna S. and Stoskopf, Michael K.}, editor={Macdonald, Robie W.Editor}, year={2017}, month={Jun}, pages={531–544} }
 @article{westmoreland_stoskopf_maggi_2017, title={Detection and prevalence of four different hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. in Eastern North Carolina American black bears (Ursus americanus)}, volume={50}, ISSN={0147-9571}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2016.12.002}, DOI={10.1016/j.cimid.2016.12.002}, abstractNote={Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. are globally emerging, obligate parasitic, epierythrocytic bacteria that infect many vertebrates, including humans. Hemoplasma infection can cause acute life-threatening symptoms or lead to a chronic sub-clinical carrier state. Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. transmission, prevalence, and host specificity are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine the molecular prevalence of Mycoplasma species in blood from 68 free-ranging black bears from the eastern coast of North Carolina. DNA amplification of Mycoplasma 16S rRNA gene identified four distinct species infecting 34/68 (50%) of the black bear blood samples, including Candidatus M. haematoparvum. The high prevalence of hemotropic Mycoplasma infection in this wildlife species highlights the importance of understanding intra and inter species transmission. Black bears may play a role in the transmission of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. between animals, arthropod vectors, and humans. Further studies are needed to elucidate black bears as a potential reservoir for hemotropic Mycoplasma infections.}, journal={Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Westmoreland, Lori S.H. and Stoskopf, Michael K. and Maggi, Ricardo G.}, year={2017}, month={Feb}, pages={106–109} }
 @article{westmoreland_stoskopf_maggi_2016, title={Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in North Carolina Eastern Black Bears (Ursus americanus)}, volume={52}, ISSN={0090-3558}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/2016-02-036}, DOI={10.7589/2016-02-036}, abstractNote={Abstract We detected Anaplasma phagocytophilum by DNA amplification in whole blood from free-ranging, hunter-killed American black bears (Ursus americanus) from the east coast of North Carolina, US. Molecular prevalence for Anaplasma phagocytophilum was 3% from 68 black bears. No DNA of other Anaplasma or Ehrlichia spp. was identified.}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Wildlife Diseases}, publisher={Wildlife Disease Association}, author={Westmoreland, Lori S. H. and Stoskopf, Michael K. and Maggi, Ricardo G.}, year={2016}, month={Oct}, pages={968–970} }