My overly-tight abstract for the Orangutan Species Survival Plan - Husbandry Workshop at the Los Angeles Zoo, Monday October 14th: "Malaria is a treatable and preventable disease, yet direct and hidden impacts of orangutan cerebral malaria (OCM) on already tenuous populations remains unknown. Projects dedicated to rehabilitation exist with hopes for eventual reintroduction, but lack of adequate forest skills, inappropriate social and emotional competencies, permanent physical disability, behavioral disorder, and incurable contagious disease prohibits reintroduction. Exposure to species atypical physical and social environments, including peer-rearing, places normative psychological development in jeopardy. The impact of cerebral malaria on early brain development, including developmentally inappropriate medical therapy, includes pervasive developmental disorder and lasting neurological impairments. Because the retina is an extension of the cerebral cortex, it mirrors pathological changes due to malaria on the brain. Recent genetic analysis determined orangutan malaria is a distinct species, and retinal examinations, behavioral assessment or both together may provide information to devise a rapidly deployed and reliable screen for OCM." I will discuss pharmacological therapeutics used in pediatrics not typically found in veterinary care that will help protect infant orangutan neurobiological (psychological) development. Because developmental delays and derailment can seriously impact reintroduction efforts, I am also introducing low-tech methods of identifying when OCM has resulted in cortical vision and hearing impairments, so that onsite care staff can better attend to developmental needs. I will also propose a joint sanctuary study that may help to distinguish OCM from the effects of attachment disruption/PTSD, early head trauma (TBI), and environmental exposures to toxins and other infections.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:11:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015