INTRODUCTION
In this chapter we present a number of special topics, with a brief example to illustrate each one. Noninfectious diseases ofwildlife are very important and have had considerable impact.
Examples include pesticides such as DDT and polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), plant poisoning, capture myopathy, traumas such as automobile-related deaths, tower strikes by bats and birds, among others. Botulism technically is a noninfectious disease, but is addressed in the Chapter 9 among bacteria using soil and water as a reservoir. As an example of a noninfectious disease, we address lead poisoning (plumbism), a long-known toxin of birds, especially waterfowl.Another special topic is cancer. There are a large number of cancers described from wildlife, and most are an occasional occurrence. One cancer that has emerged as a very serious disease is devil facial tumor disease, an infectious tumor affecting Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii); it is used as a case study to represent cancers.
Prions are an additional and recent emerging problem in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a serious problem among domestic cattle and the prions that cause BSE also cause disease in humans. Chronic wasting disease will be raised as an example of an important prion disease of wildlife.
Finally, global amphibian declines are addressed. There is no single cause having sole responsibility for the declines and extinctions reported. In part this reflects the increased complexity of interacting factors affecting wildlife that biologists and managers must face. Amphibian declines serve as a good example of this complexity.