Bacteria in Zambezi Likely Cause of Fish Disease
SciDev.Net
21 Dec 2006
Moses Magadza
Namibian scientists have found dangerous levels of bacteria in the backwaters of the Zambezi River, where a mysterious and seemingly fatal disease outbreak among fish was recently detected. Fishermen in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, began reporting serious sores on fish in early October, which is thought to affect up to four out of every five fish caught (see 'Deadly infection hits Zambezi fish'). Baffled scientists have sampled fish and water from areas where the infection was reported, and tested them for pathogenic bacteria. The results showed dangerously high levels of coliforms — a group of bacteria that indicate the presence of disease-causing microbes — as well as E. coli, which can be toxic and cause severe illness, at all sites.
They also found salmonella — a deadly bacterium that causes food poisoning and diarrhoea — at one site. The scientists suggest that sewage leaking into the river from the Caprivi region in Namibia could have caused the high levels of bacteria in the Zambezi. The river is Africa's fourth largest and runs from Namibia into the Indian Ocean, supporting some 40 million people. To protect people's health, Namibia has declared a raft of measures, including a ban on fishing in the Zambezi from midnight today (21 December) until 31 January 2007, pending the outcome of further laboratory tests.
Buck Tests Positive for CWD
The Roanoke Times
28 Dec 2006
Bill Cochran
A 2 ½-year old buck killed by a hunter during the firearm’s season in Hampshire County, W.Va., has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. The deer was killed in an area located within close proximity to where nine other deer have been detected with CWD since 2005. The area is not far from the Virginia border, near Winchester. The newest case was the only CWD-positive deer among 1,354 animals checked by officials that were killed by hunters in Hampshire County.
“Our analysis of the CWD surveillance data indicates the disease appears to be found in a relatively small geographical area located near Slanesville, W.Va.,” said Frank Jezioro, director of the Wet Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “From a wildlife disease management perspective, we consider this to be encouraging news.” Across the border, Virginia officials have been testing deer for CWD but none has been detected.
Wildlife Focus: Lives in the Balance
The Independent
28 Dec 2006
Peter Marren
Over the past year, while some species have been pushed further towards extinction, others have come back from the brink. Peter Marren rounds up the wildlife winners - and losers - of 2006
THE POLAR BEAR: LOSER
The polar bear's grip on the Arctic ice is slipping and now it is expected to join the official list of threatened species, as reported in The Independent today. Numbers have declined by between 17 and 22 per cent, and the world population of about 25,000 bears is expected to fall by 30 per cent over the next 35 to 50 years. The main cause is global warming. The polar pack ice is melting fast; in summer it is now separated from land by a wide belt of sea.
This means that the "fat time", when the bears can catch seals easily, is decreasing. It also forces the bears to swim, using up their fat reserves. The result: drowned and starving bears, and fewer baby bears to replace them. In May the polar bear was listed for the first time as a vulnerable species worldwide.
Brucellosis Rate Rises in Feeding Area
CasperStarTribune.net
28 Dec 2006
Whitney Royster
A new report shows the level of brucellosis exposure in Buffalo Valley elk has jumped during a period when emergency feeding of the animals has taken place. Critics of elk feedgrounds say those two developments aren't coincidental. But the Wyoming Game and Fish Department isn't necessarily making the same conclusion. The emergency feeding began several years ago when deep snow prevented elk from leaving the area near cattle and prevented managers from moving elk.
Eric Keszler with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said no permanent feedground is going to be established in the Buffalo Valley, located northwest of Jackson. Low snow levels in northwest Wyoming this winter have allowed wildlife managers to haze elk away from cattle lines in the Buffalo Valley, and no emergency feeding has been necessary. The new report examining abortion and birth rates in the brucellosis- endemic area of Wyoming said seroprevalence rates jumped significantly for elk in the Buffalo Valley. Seroprevalence shows an animal has been exposed to the brucellosis bacteria but does not necessarily have the disease, which can cause ungulates to abort.
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