Joint USDA and DOI Release: Montana Wild Bird Samples Undergo Additional Avian Influenza Testing [USDA Press Release]
United States Department of Agriculture
21 Sep 2006
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana. Initial tests confirm that these samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. These samples were collected from apparently healthy ducks and initial test results indicate the presence of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus, which poses no threat to human health.
The duck samples were collected on Sept. 15 in Cascade County, Montana, by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as part of a cooperative, expanded wild bird monitoring program. Sixty-six samples were collected directly from the birds using cloacal swabs. Samples were initially screened at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Of the 66 samples tested at the Colorado State University state lab, 16 samples were sent to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing.
One of the 16 samples screened by NVSL tested positive for both H5 and N1. However, this does not mean these birds are infected with an H5N1 strain. It is possible that there could be two separate avian influenza viruses, one containing H5 and the other containing N1. Confirmatory testing underway at NVSL will clarify whether one or more strains of the virus are present, the specific subtype, as well as confirm the pathogenicity. These results are expected within two to three weeks and will be made public when completed.
Bacteria thriving in Hood Canal: Huge Jellylike Colony Underwater Covers 'Ecological Dead Zone' Seattle Post-Intelligencer
22 Sep 2006
Lisa Stiffler
Photo courtesy of Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A white, cottony-looking mat of marine bacteria has been discovered blanketing underwater stretches of Hood Canal, according to research from the Skokomish Indian Tribe. The jellylike bacteria were found this summer when divers were searching for a variety of a squishy invasive species called a tunicate. The mat covered a four-mile long "ecological dead zone" devoid of other sea life.
The 3 1/2-foot-thick layer of bacteria thrives in low-oxygen conditions and was found at depths below 35 feet in the southern region of the canal. Dead and dying sea life -- including more than 100 Dungeness crabs -- were found where the bacteria were present. The mats are believed to still be present in the canal, and there are anecdotal reports of the bacteria dating to the 1950s, said Jan Newton, an oceanographer at the University of Washington.
"It's not surprising that those bacterial mats are there," Newton said. She suspects that they have been there undetected for a while. "What's important is Hood Canal has had really low oxygen for a long time." Presence of the bacterial mats -- suspected to be Beggiatoa -- could be used to identify areas in ecological distress, tribal researchers suggest in a newly released report.
Freudenthal Raps Feds on Elk
Jackson Hole Casper Star-Tribune
22 Sep 2006
Brodie Farquhar and Joan Barron
Idaho officials are making an all-out effort to keep escaped game farm elk from mingling with wild elk, but Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is chastizing the Interior Department for what he sees as less-than-full participation in dealing with the problem. An estimated 75 to 160 domestic elk escaped last month from a game farm operation near Ashton, Idaho -- less than 10 miles from the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park.
Freudenthal said this week the National Park Service "does not appear committed to searching out the elk and removing them." He said the state believes the Park Service has the ability to manage the animals, but the agency is taking the same position with the escaped elk that it takes with regard to wolves, which is: "We cannot manage the park for a species or two species."
Yellowstone has more rangers in backcountry patrols than other times of the year, said Al Nash, spokesman for the park. He declined to say how many, saying he didn’t want to tip off poachers who might be tempted to invade other parts of the park. So far, Yellowstone has not asked for extra help from elsewhere in the National Park Service, he noted.
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