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The Sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small-sized felid found in sand and stone deserts ranging from the north of Africa to Asia, with the Arabian Peninsula as its centre of distribution. The Sand cat captive breeding program at the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife (BCEAW), Sharjah, UAE, has experienced high newborn mortality rates, and congenital toxoplasmosis was recently recognized as one of the causes of this mortality. In the present study, one 18-month-old Sand cat (FM019) died of acute toxoplasmosis-associated hepatitis and pneumonitis acquired after birth; Toxoplasma gondii was demonstrated in histological sections which reacted with T. gondii polyclonal antibodies by immunohistochemistry (IHC). T. gondii DNA was found by PCR of extracted DNA from liver and lung tissues of this cat. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in serum examined in 1:1600 dilution in the modified agglutination test (MAT); its 2-year-old cage mate seroconverted (MAT titer 1:3200) at the same time. Another Sand cat (FM017) was euthanized because of ill health when 3 years old; its MAT titer was >1:3200, and T. gondii tissue cysts were found in brain, heart, ocular muscles and skeletal muscle, confirmed by IHC. Viable T. gondii was isolated by bioassays in mice inoculated with tissues of another chronically infected Sand cat (FM002); T. gondii was not found in histological sections of this cat. T. gondii antibodies were found in several species of animals tested, notably in 49 of 57 wild felids at BCEAW. A 7-year-old Sand cat (3657) from Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), Doha, State of Qatar died of acute visceral toxoplasmosis with demonstrable T. gondii tachyzoites by IHC, and T. gondii DNA by PCR, and a MAT titer of >3200. T. gondii antibodies were found in 21 of 27 of wild felids at AWWP. PCR-RFLP genotyping at 10 genetic loci revealed that these T. gondii isolates from Sand cat (FM002 and FM019) at BCEAW have an atypical genotype, which was previously reported in T. gondii isolates of dogs from Sri Lanka. The genotype from the cat from AWWP (3657) is a genetic Type II strain with a Type I allele at locus Apico. This is the first report of genetic characterization of T. gondii isolates from Middle East.

Multicentric T-cell lymphomas were diagnosed in two birds from separate zoological collections: one in a 27-year-old female Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) and the second in an adult pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens). The main clinical sign in the penguin was dysphagia caused by lymphoma formation in the esophagus. Besides the esophageal lymphoma, neoplastic lymphoid cells were observed in the adrenal glands, liver, kidneys, lung, proventriculus, and gizzard. The pelican was found dead without a clinical history. Neoplastic lymphoid cells were observed in the kidneys, liver, pancreas, spleen, ventriculus, and small intestine. Neoplastic cells of the penguin as well as of the pelican were immunoreactive to CD3 antigen, suggesting the lymphomas were of T-cell origin. In both cases, test results were negative for Marek's disease virus, avian leukosis virus, and reticuloendotheliosis virus. In the pelican, a skin melanoma was diagnosed on the left throat pouch in addition to the multicentric T-cell lymphoma.

a b s t r a c tGazella arabica Lichtenstein, 1827, a gazelle species currently classified as "data deficient" on the IUCN Red List, has puzzled researchers for more than a century. The type specimens have repeatedly been classified as subspecies of G. gazella, G. dorcas or a distinct species since their first description about 180 years ago. Especially the skull is causing problems, as no similar gazelle individual has ever been found. We unravel the identity of G. arabica by sequencing two mitochondrial markers from the skull and skin which constitute the G. arabica lectotype and by performing a phylogenetic analysis of the genus. The results show that the lectotype skull and skin are not derived from the same animal. They belong to two individuals representing the two monophyletic lineages within the Mountain gazelle clade, Gazella gazella. By tracing the taxonomic history of G. arabica and following the rules of the ICZN we are able to resolve the hypodigm of G. arabica.