Wildlife Disease News Digest

Eradicating Brucellosis
Casper Star-Tribune
17 Dec 2006

A national cattlemen’s organization normally associated with meatpacker concentration issues is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to eradicate brucellosis in Yellowstone’s bison, even if it means the death of hundreds, perhaps thousands of bison and elk. Barring development of 100 percent effective vaccinations, that eradication goal could only be reached by a massive test-and-slaughter program, said Larry Cooper, a USDA spokesman.

Brucellosis is a disease that can cause abortions in cattle, bison and other animals. It was first detected in a Yellowstone National Park bison in 1917 -- and probably was contracted from cattle in the Lamar Valley. The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, or R-CALF, wrote Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns last month, urging USDA to: * Mandate brucellosis testing of bison in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Snowy Owl Dies of Lead Poisoning
Billings Gazette
18 Dec 2006
C Johnson
Photo Courtesy of Billings Gazette

A snowy owl being treated for lead poisoning at the Montana Raptor Conservation Center in Bozeman has died. A blood sample from the owl showed the toxicity of its blood was seven times the lethal limit for lead poisoning, said John Bell, a center volunteer who helped care for the sick owl. An X-ray showed the owl had four pellets from lead shot.

“The lead poisoning had taken effect and killed it,’’ he said on Monday. The owl died Dec. 6, two days after arriving at the center from northeastern Montana. Bell went to check on it and found the owl dead in its cage. “That was a sad day all around. This animal had so much fight. I felt really excited about this, being able to help get this owl back into the wild,’’ Bell said.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Deadly Infection Hits Zambezi Fish
Science and Development Network
13 Dec 2006
M Magadza
Photo Courtesy of SciDev.Net

A deadly but as yet unidentified infection among fish in backwaters of the Zambezi River has been detected, sparking fears that the disease could be transmitted to humans. The infection could affect up to four out of every five fish caught in some parts of Africa's fourth largest river, which supports an estimated 40 million people.

Fishermen in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, began reporting serious sores on fish in early October, according to Nyambe Nyambe, a Zambian environment and development consultant to the government. The infection causes blisters and sores, and eats away at the fins and tails of multiple fish species — notably breams, minnows and catfish — eventually killing them, although the fatality rate is unknown.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

'Home Run' Study on Spread of Disease Published [Press Release]
EurekAlerts
18 Dec 2006
Photo Courtesy of EurekAlerts

A paper that authors are calling a "home run" study on the spread of disease is published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study traces -- through genetic analysis -- the accidental introduction of invasive snails with parasitic flatworms. The invaders were probably transported with Japanese seed oysters imported into the waters of the Pacific Northwest over a century ago.

It is the first comprehensive genetic analysis of an invasive marine host and its parasites. The study points to broad implications for identifying and mitigating spreading disease in a globalized economy. Understanding the invasion pathways of disease-causing organisms and their hosts is key in limiting future disease outbreaks in humans, in agriculture, and in wildlife.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Rising Tide of Invasive, Exotic Species
The Associated Press (Posted by CNews)
18 Dec 2006
T Lewan

In the United States and around the world, invasive species are a major cause of species endangerment and extinction, second only to habitat loss. In recent years, thousands of non-native animals and plants have entered the United States. Roughly half of the native animals and plants on the U.S. endangered list are at least partly threatened by these invaders, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Dale Hall, the agency's director, puts invasive species as the No. 1 environmental threat to the United States today. Exotics, he says, "can push out native species, alter habitats, transmit foreign diseases and parasites, and cause food-chain disruptions."

>>>FULL ARTICLE