Wildlife disease specialist examining slide smears for squirrel coccidea, Patuxent Center. (Photo by F. C. Schniid) 



tests on 835 of these samples have shown that Iowa 

 game-farm pheasants are remarkably free of 

 pullorum. Reactors were found in only one flock, 

 and infection in that flock has since been 

 eliminated. 



WiU7/>fe disease surveys. — The Iowa Coopera- 

 tive "Wildlife Research Unit worked with State 

 officials in wildlife disease surveys in 1963. In 

 routine checks for rabies in wild mammals brought 

 to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diag- 

 nostic Laboratory, 80 of 121 skunks. 1 of 2 badgers, 

 2 of 22 bats (Myotis or Eptesicux), 3 of 8 civet 

 cats, 3 of 16 foxes (red or grey), and 2 of 62 rac- 

 coons were found rabies positive. 



Of 211 Iowa deer checked for brucellosis to 

 date, all were negative for the disease. Of 231 

 whitetails checked for leptospirosis at the National 

 Animal Disease Laboratory, 199 were negative for 

 antibodies of the disease. Fourteen percent (32) 



showed some reaction, but only 3.5 percent, in- 

 volved Leptospira pomona. The 91 deer checked 

 were free of Johne's disease. 



Gizzard worms in wintering goose population.- — 

 The. Virginia Unit examined a total of 84 Canada 

 geese killed on the Mattamuskeet National Wild- 

 life, Refuge and environs for gizzard worms 

 (Amidostomum anseris), and 73 were found in- 

 fected. The mean number of worms per infected 

 bird was 11.8±2.3, with a range of 1 to 148. 



Lesions of the cuticular lining and hemorrhagic 

 areas on the mucosa were apparent in birds har- 

 boring 15 or more worms. In an adult female 

 parasitized by 148 gizzard worms, the gizzard lin- 

 ing was extremely loose, and hemorrhagic areas 

 !>etween the cuticular lining and mucosa were ap- 

 parent, but no effect on the external appearance 

 could l)e observed. 



53 



