Virus will Wipe Out Red Squirrels
News & Star
21 Aug 2006
A deadly squirrel disease which only affects reds could see the species disappear from some of its last remaining English strongholds within a decade, new research revealed today. Previously scientists believed that grey squirrels were wiping out native reds simply by taking over their habitats, but an international study has blamed a virus which they transmit to the red population, killing them within a fortnight.
Researchers have now called for a selective cull of greys in “gateways” to red squirrel areas to prevent the protected species from being exposed to the virus. According to scientists from Newcastle University and London’s Queen Mary University, the disease, squirrel poxvirus, threatens to wipe out red squirrels in some of the areas in which they remain in northern England within 10 years.
In areas where it has been detected, the rate of decline in reds is 17-25 times higher than in places where there has been no outbreak. Red squirrels have been in Britain for the last 10,000 years and are protected under the UK’s Wildlife and Countryside Act, while domineering greys were introduced from the United States more than 100 years ago.
Chronic Wasting Investigation in Western MN CompletedThe Associated Press (Posted by Kare11.com)
18 Aug 2006
Investigators looking into a single case of chronic wasting disease in a white-tailed deer in Lac qui Parle County said Thursday that the rest of the animals in the farmed herd did not have the disease.
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health had quarantined the herd after the 10-year-old female deer was diagnosed with the disease on March 14. The other animals -- 21 white-tailed deer and two elk -- were killed on June 27 and tested for CWD at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in St. Paul.
The board said the source of the fatal brain and nervous system disease in the one deer was not determined. he Minnesota Department of Natural Resources plans to sample white-tailed deer killed by hunters in the area in November to ensure that the infection didn't spread to the wild deer population, the board said.
Tick-borne Disease Puzzles Researchers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Posted by MyrtleBeachOnline.com)
21 Aug 2006
Molly McElroy
It's a miserably muggy morning, and Brian Allan is tucking the pant legs of his white cotton jumpsuit into his socks. A mysterious new tick-borne disease has sickened people and puzzled doctors, and Allan, a Washington University graduate student, is out to track down its source.
Trudging through woods at the Tyson Research Center, he pauses every 20 feet to inspect a white cotton cloth about the size of an American flag that he's dragging. He also inspects himself.
On this particular July morning, the search so far is not very tickful for Allan, who can usually find a tick within one minute. He has traveled throughout the Midwest to collect ticks. He's been all over Missouri, southern Indiana and to Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky and Tennessee. This month, he'll have a tick collecting spree in southern Missouri.
Don't Let Mosquito Give You West Nile: Utah Rich in Virus — and Victim Numbers RisingDeseretNews.com
21 Aug 2006
Lois M. Collins
Photo courtesy of Deseret Morning News
Christine Ostler was "complacent" when it came to warnings about West Nile virus. And it nearly killed her. The Payson woman, 58, was described not two weeks ago by health experts as likely to die from the vicious, neurologic form of the mosquito-borne virus.
Today, she's weak, fatigued, can't comprehend what she's reading and calls herself "lucky." She and her husband, David, who was also bitten but suffered milder symptoms, are around to nag their children and grandchildren to wear mosquito repellent when they go out at night.
The Ostlers love to linger in their beautifully landscaped yard. She knew she got several mosquito bites one night but "didn't pay much attention." Nearly a week later, she developed a hideous headache and a rash. Then she got a fever, so she took ibuprofen and wished she felt better.
NCSA to Host Workshop on Infectious Disease Informatics
GRIDtoday.com
18 Aug 2006
Many individuals are addressing issues of infectious disease in both humans and animals using diverse methods. There are researchers who use powerful supercomputers to model how diseases, such as avian flu, could spread through the United States.
There are others who focus on surveillance and detection of outbreaks. And there are practitioners, administrators, planners, and government officials who are on the front lines of public health preparedness and response.
On Sept. 7-8, people with interests in surveillance, modeling, and response will gather at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) to share their experiences, learn about one another's areas of expertise, and identify opportunities for collaboration and information sharing.
Florida's Deer Herd Free of CWD in Tests
The Ledger
18 Aug 2006
Del Milligan
Four years of testing by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has confirmed that Florida's deer herd is free of chronic wasting disease. No states in the Southeast have reported any cases of CWD, a fatal disease that affects deer and elk in western states and parts of the Midwest.
Florida has tested more than 2,300 whitetail deer in the study. Hunters are reminded that it is illegal to bring carcasses of deer, elk or moose from 14 states and two Canadian provinces where CWD has been found.
U.N.: Different Bird Flu Strains in Asia
United Press International
18 Aug 2006
The United Nations says a recent wave of bird flu in Thailand and Laos poultry is the result of both old and new strains of the H5N1 virus. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Thursday called for vigorous implementation of control measures to prevent further spread of the disease.
The FAO said last month's outbreak in Thailand's Pichit province was caused by the same strain that has been circulating in the area since 2003, meaning the virus has become endemic to the region.
"The H5N1 virus thus remained alive in central Thailand in a reservoir of birds and poultry, most probably a mix of backyard chickens, ducks and fighting cocks," said Laurence Gleeson, regional manager of FAO's bird flu center in Bangkok.
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