Unraveling Brucellosis Source Isn't Simple Matter
Billings Gazette
23 May 2007
M Stark
Area: Montana
The list of prime suspects in Montana's brucellosis cattle cases is short: elk, bison or other cows. But finding the culprit is no small chore. Investigators face the daunting prospect of tracing back infected animals to see if they had been exposed by other cattle and, short of that, where and when they may have come in contact with the disease left behind by wild animals.
State and federal officials are testing hundreds of samples for brucellosis after a cow from Bridger was shipped to Iowa and in early May tested positive for the disease. If the disease is confirmed in two herds, Montana would lose its federal brucellosis-free certification and would face expensive testing for cattle shipped out of state.
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How Rabies Spreads In A Raccoon Outbreak
ScienceDaily
22 May 2007
Analyzing 30 years of data detailing a large rabies virus outbreak among North American raccoons, researchers at Emory University have revealed how initial demographic, ecological and genetic processes simultaneously shaped the virus's geographic spread over time. The study appears online in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences.
"Our study demonstrates the combined evolutionary and population dynamic processes characterizing the spread of a pathogen after its introduction into a susceptible host population," says Leslie Real, PhD, Emory University Asa G. Candler professor of biology. During invasion, emerging pathogens, such as rabies, ebola and hantavirus, undergo rapid evolution while expanding their numbers and geographic range; yet, it is difficult to demonstrate how these processes interact, says Dr. Real.
UK Tests Could Miss Bird Flu in Migratory Birds [Article Preview]
NewScientist.com
21 May 2007
D Mackenzie
Area: United Kingdom
Discrepancies between British and mainland Europe's flu rates in water fowl raise fears that UK tests might miss the H5N1 strain. Discrepancies between levels of flu recorded in British birds and those elsewhere in Europe have surfaced yet again, following publication of the biggest study so far of bird flu in Europe. The findings raise concerns about whether British tests would pick up H5N1 bird flu if migratory wild birds carried it into the country.
Researchers in the Netherlands and Sweden analysed influenza A samples taken from 37,000 water birds in northern Europe over eight years. They confirmed that dabbling ducks, especially mallards, are the main carriers of flu viruses, although other birds, including geese, are occasional carriers. On average 6 per cent of ducks are infected, falling to a few per cent in spring and peaking at up to 20 per cent or more in autumn (PLoS Pathogens, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0030061).
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