Scientists Catch West Nile Early
The Daily Democrat
12 Mar 2007
D Olson
Area: California, USA
The reports have started trickling in - infected mosquitoes in Riverside County, a dead bird in Los Angeles County, an infected horse near Sonoma. The 2007 West Nile virus season has begun, and experts say outbreaks of the disease in the Yolo County region are inevitable. However, they also say no one knows how severe those outbreaks will be, or even where they might happen. West Nile virus has simply not been in Northern California long enough to make any predictions about its future.
"We can't say whether it will be a bad year or a good year," said David Brown, manager of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. "But West Nile virus is here to stay, and we know it is throughout Sacramento and Yolo counties." Since the first human cases of West Nile infection in New York eight years ago, the virus has spread to 43 states, sickening nearly 24,000 people and killing 946, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In California, more than 1,900 people have become ill from the virus since 2002, and 54 have died. Last year, there were 42 cases in Sacramento and Yolo counties, with no fatalities, according to state records.
Disease Opened Door to Invading Species in California
Oregon State University (Posted by sciencedaily.com)
12 Mar 2007
Area: California, USA
Plant and animal diseases can play a major and poorly appreciated role in allowing the invasion of exotic species, which in turn often threatens biodiversity, ecological function and the world economy, researchers say in a new report.
In particular, a plant pathogen appears to have opened the gate for the successful invasion of non-native grasses into much of California, one of the world's largest documented cases of invading species and one that dramatically changed the history and ecology of a vast grassland ecosystem. The study, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a professional journal, should improve the understanding of invasive species and possibly suggest new tools to combat them, said researchers at Oregon State University. "Even if we can't control all the diseases that help species invade, at least now we know to consider diseases when studying invasion," said Elizabeth Borer, an assistant professor of zoology at OSU.
"In analyzing the ecology of exotic plant or animal species, it's clear that diseases are one part of the equation." About 50,000 exotic species have been introduced into the United States, and the havoc they wreak upon agricultural crops, wildlife, ranch animals, forests and grasslands costs about $137 billion a year, scientists say. Invading species are also responsible for about half of all native species that go extinct, studies show. One of the primary theories of successful invading species, experts say, until now had been the "enemy release hypothesis," in which an invasive species is no longer constrained by whatever predators or control mechanisms kept it in check in its native habitat.
Red Squirrels Find the Comeback TrailYorkshire Post
13 Mar 2007
A Tunningley
Area: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Red squirrels are making a cautious comeback in Yorkshire after decades in exile. Allan Tunningley discovers their chances of survival. MY HEART begins to beat a little faster as Jane Kemp beckons me over to take a look out of the lounge window of her remote Dales home. I know I am about to witness a sight precious few people have seen in Yorkshire in recent decades – and I am not disappointed.
After just a few seconds, a red squirrel bounds into view and springs effortlessly from the ground into the branch of a tree. Of course, like most people, I have watched countless grey squirrels perform similar acrobatics in the county's woods and parks. But seeing this little creature with its russet coat, tufted ears and astonishing agility is really quite remarkable. Jane and her husband Hugh, however, have been privileged to watch red squirrel antics in their garden at Widdale, near Hawes, for the past 15 years – acknowledged as the first site of red squirrel re-colonisation in Yorkshire since they disappeared from the county in about the middle of the 20th century.
Related Wildlife Release Article
Public Urged to Keep Open Mind About Bird Deaths
ABC News Online
13 Mar 2007
Area: Australia
The Esperance Port Authority has urged the community in south-eastern Western Australia to keep an open mind about thousands of bird deaths in the region, despite its decision to suspend all lead shipments. Yesterday, the port's board decided to suspend lead shipments after test results showed the heavy metal was the likely cause of the bird deaths. While the results did not link the deaths to the lead shipped through the port, chief executive Colin Stewart says the board had no hesitation in acting to ensure the safety of staff, the general community and wildlife. He says the port has treated the heavy metal with caution since it started shipping it in 2005.
"From the port's point of view the most important issue for us is the health and welfare of our own employees who work down here," he said. "Now, we monitor their blood lead levels and the like and we have experienced nothing to cause concern at this point in time, but it's important that we look after our employees and the community and wildlife." The mining company that ships its lead through the port says it understands the decision and will continue operations, provided the suspension is relatively short-lived. Magellan Metals mines the lead near the northern goldfields' town of Wiluna before sending it to Esperance via road and rail.
Project Tries to Collar Rabies ThreatPittsburgh Tribune-Review
12 Mar 2007
M Cronin
Area: Pennsylvania, USA
Like a special agent in a movie, Rob Puskas uses an array of electronic equipment to track down his targets. But after locating his quarry -- which often hides under sheds, behind fences or beneath porches -- Puskas, 25, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services technician, leaves them alone. His aim is not to kill the 32 radio-collared raccoons he tracks near Ligonier, Westmoreland County, but to monitor their movements to help corral rabies. "My job is to determine where raccoons are traveling most," Puskas said.
The potentially deadly rabies virus is concentrated in states along the Eastern Seaboard, where rabid raccoons -- the disease's primary carriers -- are walled off by the Appalachian Mountains and other natural barriers. But rabies could burst through, so scientists have established lines of defense, with Western Pennsylvania serving as a major front. Pennsylvania, with its ridges and valleys, is an ideal state to make a stand against the disease's advance, said USDA spokeswoman Brie German. The topography is a primary reason federal officials have selected Pennsylvania as one of the first states where they hope to eradicate raccoon rabies.
Smuggled Bushmeat Poses U.S. Health Threat
NPR Morning Addition
12 Mar 2007
R Knox
Area: United States
In Africa, some people hunt wild animals for their meat. Some of this so-called bushmeat is smuggled into the United States. Health experts say that it sometimes contains microbes that cause serious diseases.
Journal Articles of Interest
Avian Influenza Viruses in Water Birds, Africa [free full-article]
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Arp; 13(4): Epub ahead of print
N Gaidet et al.
Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in Non-Carnivorous Wildlife from Spain [online abstract only]
Vet Parasitol. 2007 Jan 19;143(1):21-8. Epub 2006 Sep 8.
S Almeria et al.
Serological Evidence for Borna Disease Virus Infection in Humans, Wild Rodents and Other Vertebrates in Finland [online abstract only]
J Clin Virol. 2007 Jan;38(1):64-9. Epub 2006 Nov 28.
P Kinnunen et al.
No comments:
Post a Comment