Algae Toxin Identification Unravels Fish-Kill Mystery
National Institute of Standards and Technology (Posted by biologynews.net)
19 Jan 2007
Photo courtesy of North Carolina State University Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology
A team of researchers from the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., has uncovered a subtle chemical pathway by which a normally inoffensive algae, Pfiesteria piscicida, can suddenly start producing a lethal toxin. The discovery, reported last week in Environmental Science and Technology,* could resolve a long-standing mystery surrounding occasional mass fish kills on the East Coast. Pfiesteria has been implicated for years in a series of otherwise unexplained episodes of mass fish death throughout its range from roughly Delaware to Alabama, particularly in the Neuse River in North Carolina and the Chesapeake Bay. The single-cell organism can experience explosive growth resulting in algae blooms in coastal waters.
While it has been suspected not only in fish kills but in incidents of human memory loss and other environmental and health-related effects, no one has ever conclusively identified the actual mechanism. Attempts to grow lethal Pfiesteria in the laboratory have had inconsistent results. The Hollings Marine Laboratory is a joint institution of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the College of Charleston, and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Lead researcher Peter Moeller of NOAA suspected that the presence or absence of heavy metals might be the missing factor accounting for Pfiesteria's lethality, and put together a multidisciplinary research team to identify the actual toxin and the conditions under which it is produced.
Bird Disease Blamed in Wild Pigeon Deaths
Calveras Enterprise
19 Jan 2007
Maveric Vu
Sheep Ranch resident Jackie Machado seemed to be living in a real-life horror film situation. Several dead pigeons started appearing on her property last week with no apparent cause. “When you find one or two birds, you think that it’s no big deal and that a cat probably got it,” Machado said. “But when you find 20, you start to worry.” Machado grew concerned when new bodies started popping up daily.
Machado said county departments gave her the runaround as she tried to figure things out for her family’s safety. “We don’t know if we’re exposing our family to something or what,” she said. “It’s been a bad week.” The California Department of Fish and Game eventually took up the case and discovered evidence of a bird-specific disease - avian trichomoniasis. “It’s not transmissible to humans,” said Fish and Game veterinarian Pam Swift, based in Rancho Cordova. “Put on gloves, pick up the dead birds and dispose of them.”
Dead Ducks are Ruffling the Experts: Something at a Chlorinated Treatment Pool is Sickening Birds. About 200 have Died.
denverpost.com
22 Jan 2007
Katy Human
Something is killing hundreds of ducks in a 2.2 million gallon treatment pond at a wastewater plant in north Denver. The ducks - mostly northern shovelers - frequent the treatment plant by the thousands in the winter, drawn by warm water and plentiful food - tiny aquatic animals called zooplankton. Since Jan. 2, at least 200 ducks have died in a chlorine treatment pool, and dozens of sick ducks have been sent to local wildlife rehabilitation experts, said Steve Frank, spokesman for the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. The state Division of Wildlife is investigating the deaths.
The problem does not appear to be bird flu or another avian disease, said officials who are baffled by the deaths. "Something is impacting their waterproofing," said Melanie Kaknes, the state DOW district wildlife manager. Oily feathers normally help waterfowl repel water, but the dead and dying ducks "are getting soaked down real good" said Will Williams, a facilities maintenance worker at Metro Wastewater. Williams helped chase down eight sick birds Saturday morning, spending more than 20 minutes to net a scared bird that kept diving toward the bottom of the 14-foot deep basin.
Birds' Deaths Due to Natural Causes
United Press International (Posted by ScienceDaily.com)
19 Jan 2007
Avian pathologists have determined that the deaths of 63 birds in downtown Austin, Texas, this month were the result of natural causes.
Texas A&M University pathologists examined nine of the birds found dead on Jan. 8 and determined they died because of parasites and a drop in temperature, the Austin American-Statesman reported Friday. "We did not find any evidence that there was a public health problem, either from a poison or from an infectious disease," Dr. Lelve Gayle, the executive director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, told the newspaper.
"These birds were heavily parasitized by multiple species of parasites," Gayle said. "These birds were sick." A drop in temperature from the 50s to the 40s contributed to the birds dying at close to the same time, Gayle said. When the dead birds were found, a city street was closed and dozens of businesses closed their doors, the American-Statesman reported.
Need for More Experts to Handle Wildlife and Livestock Diseases: Vets
expressindia.com
20 Jan 2007
The Vadodara Veterinary Society (Vvets) organised a national symposium on ‘Recent Advances In Veterinary Practices’ on Saturday. One of the main topics of discussion was the need to have more experts in the field of wildlife and livestock treatment, as well as the need for more liasing between the forest department with the wildlife veterinary medicinal department. Also, the state animal husbandry department will encourage participation from more private vets working in tribal areas in treatment of livestock, said a delegate at the meet. Around 250 veterinary doctors from different parts of the state and India took part in the symposium.
The event was presided by Kishore Rao, secretary, animal husbandry and cow breeding, Dr NT Mehta, former director of animal husbandry of Gujarat and Dr R.B Shukla. The symposium covered topics like canine diseases, ultra sonography in large and small animals, diagnosis of reproductive diseases, and management of wildlife diseases. Dr M. Jayathangaraj, Head of the Department (HOD) of wildlife science, at the Chennai Veterinary College, said , “There is a dearth of wildlife disease specialist in India. It is necessary to rope in field doctors for treatment of wildlife.”
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