October 31, 2007

ESF Goodwill Hunting: Research Group Chases Down Deer to Track Movements, Prevent Spread of Disease
The Daily Orange - www.dailyorange.com
31 Oct 2007
Area: New York, USA
Photo Courtesy of The Daily Orange/Amy Collaring

Two years ago, five captive deer and two wild deer were discovered to be infected with a deadly disease - Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Luckily for the deer, four doctoral candidates at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry wrote a proposal four months earlier with specific interest in studying animal behavior to control disease movement, said Amy Dechen, one of the doctoral candidates involved in the department of environmental and forest biology's CWD project.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) contacted ESF to conduct a study on the matter because of the "good wildlife and natural resources program," said Dave Riehlman, DEC wildlife biologist. "We wanted to know what to do to contain and better understand deer movement." CWD is a rare disease that affects deer, moose and elk and is believed to be caused by abnormal protein that eventually builds up in an animal's brain and spinal chord, altering its behavior and causing it to "waste away," said David Williams, a doctoral candidate who analyzes the project's data.




More Dead Seabirds Reported Near Kingston
Kitsap Sun - www.kitsapsun.com
30 Oct 2007
C Dunagan
Area: Washington, USA

A ferry captain on the Kingston-Edmonds route reported seeing between 50 and 100 dead birds floating on the water Tuesday morning. "We first thought somebody's net had gotten loose," said Tim Koivu, captain on the ferry Spokane. "They looked like white fishing net floats. Then we realized they were birds." The birds were floating upside down, their white bellies facing up, Koivu said. He spotted the birds at about 10 a.m. in an area perhaps 300 yards across and less than a mile from the Kingston ferry terminal.

The finding follows an alarming incident last week in which more than 200 dead birds washed up on the beach near Indianola. Both events coincided with commercial fishing in the Kingston area, but Koivu and others involved said they could not specifically tie the bird kills to fishing. "I've worked for the ferries 33 years," Koivu said. "Every once in a while you will see a dead bird here and there. I have never seen that many birds killed in one place at one time."




A Cure for the Amphibian Plague?
Cosmos - www.cosmosmagazine.com
30 Oct 2007
K Griggs
Area: New Zealand
Photo Courtesy of NZFROG/Rod Morris

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand team has successfully used a human eye ointment to cure frogs of the chytrid skin fungus that is devastating global amphibian populations. With around half of the world’s amphibian species now endangered from a mix of the disease, climate change and habitat destruction, the breakthrough may offer a ray of hope to conservation biologists. Developed at the University of Otago, in Dunedin, the treatment uses chloramphenicol, an antibiotic eye ointment. It is, “the best in the world,” for treating afflicted amphibians commented Rick Speare an expert on the fungus at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.

The Otago researchers, with whom Speare collaborates, have successfully treated two different species of frogs with a solution of the antibiotic and completely rid them of infection with the Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus. Led by biologist Phil Bishop, the team were concerned that the fungus would drive New Zealand’s critically endangered Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi) to extinction, so they set out to find a drug that might mitigate the infection.




MFBF Addresses Split State Status, Disease Eradication
The Prairie Star - www.theprairiestar.com
29 Oct 2007
Area: Montana, USA

Like other Montana agriculturists, Jake Cummins has expressed concern about the recent push for using split state status to cope with the brucellosis issue. “At this point, the Montana Farm Bureau Federation does not have policy on split state status, but that certainly is going to be a hot topic at our organization’s annual meeting Nov. 11-14 in Missoula,” said Cummins, Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) executive vice president.

“MFBF does, however, have policy on brucellosis and livestock management which gives the organization the latitude to explore more effective ways to protect its members and the Montana livestock industry from the potential loss of our brucellosis-free status.” Over the past month, Les Graham, representing Montana Farm Bureau Federation, has been traveling around the state, attending Montana Board of Livestock meetings, livestock organizational meetings, and meetings with producers in all seven counties around Yellowstone National Park to gather their thoughts on how the brucellosis issue should be addressed.




OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS




WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Genetic Structure and Evolved Malaria Resistance in Hawaiian
Honeycreepers [abstract only available]
Molecular Ecology. 2007 Oct 17; [Epub ahead of print]
JT Foster et al.

Ectoparasites of the Endangered Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus and Sympatric
Wild and Domestic Carnivores in Spain [abstract only available]
Medical and Veterinary Entomology. 2007 Sep;21(3):248-54.
J Millan et al.

An Outbreak of Lawsonia intracellularis Infection in a Standard Bred
Herd in Ontario [abstract only available- scroll to article]
Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2007 Sep; 48(9): 927-930
MKJ McGurrin et al.




at Wednesday, October 31, 2007 0 comments

October 30, 2007

NSF, NIH Award Ecology of Infectious Diseases Grants
National Science Foundation - www.nsf.gov
29 Oct 2007
Photo courtesy of Cheryl Briggs, UCSB

Scientists to study interaction of environment, disease processes

Over the last several decades, environmental changes have coincided with the emergence and re-emergence of numerous infectious diseases around the world. To address this problem, the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Directorates for Biological Sciences and Geosciences and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s Fogarty International Center (FIC) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have announced funding for eight projects under the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID) program, a multiyear, joint-agency effort now in its eighth year of funding. "Understanding the causes and consequences of emerging infectious diseases is among the grand challenge questions in the environmental sciences," said James Collins, NSF assistant director for biological sciences.

"These awards will help provide the basic knowledge we need to develop models for forecasting the emergence and spread of new and old pathogens." "These projects will help ecologists discover basic insights about disease transmission, and help public health officials make complex decisions about disease prevention measures and their potential trade-offs with other environmental health risks," said Roger Glass, director of NIH's FIC. Interdisciplinary projects funded through the EID program will study how environmental events--such as habitat destruction, biological invasions, and pollution--alter the risks of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases now emerging in humans and animals. The coincidence of the emergence of these infectious diseases and large-scale environmental changes may point to underlying and predictable ecological relationships, said Sam Scheiner, program director in NSF's division of environmental biology. "Fundamental research is critical for preparing for possible disease outbreaks, as well as for optimizing public health and environmental management responses to chronic infectious diseases," he said.





Mass Bird Death Raising Questions
North Kitsap Herald - www.northkitsapherald.com
27 Oct 2007
A Tietje
Area: Washington United States

The Suquamish Tribe and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife are working in concert to determine why 209 common murres and Pacific loons washed up dead on the Indianola beach Monday. While there had been no apparent oil or gasoline spills in the area, residents started noticing the carcasses earlier this week, and tribal officials reported their findings to the state crews. Suquamish Tribal Fisheries Biologist Paul Dorn said there could be a number of different reasons for the mass death, among them drowning, pollution, poisoned food or fishing via purse seining. He and other tribal workers helped collect the bodies and samples to send to the Fish and Wildlife laboratories to establish the cause of death.

“This is a hugely sad event,” he said. “These were not endangered birds, but they are not common either... We received calls Monday morning. We’re responding, but we don’t know the cause yet.” Fish and Wildlife District Wildlife Biologist Greg Schirato said this is definitely not a case of bird flu, but there is a hotline open for residents to call if they see a large die-off similar to this one. “This particular case is unusual,” he said. “In quite a few years, I’ve dealt with bird wash ups for quite a few years on this beach, and this one is different.”





Town Hit by Rabbit Disease
Wigan Today - www.wigantoday.net
29 October 2007
R Bean
Area: England United Kingdom

A deadly disease which has left millions of animals dead worldwide has broken out in Wigan. Vets across the borough have been called on to put down increasing numbers of rabbits because of a renewed outbreak of myxomatosis. This summer's warm, wet conditions have been ideal for the breeding cycle of biting insects like mosquitoes and horseflies – which carry the virus – to flourish. Pet rabbits can pick up myxomatosis from other infected wild cousins, but it is more commonly spread by fleas and can even be transmitted via cats and dogs if they hunt wild rabbits.

. . . Myxomatosis was a man-made disease cultured in the 1950s to control the rabbit population in Australia, where their huge numbers were wiping out crops. It almost wiped out the native population of rabbits when it was illegally introduced into Britain almost a decade later. Symptoms of the disease are runny eyes and swollen genitals, followed by severe swelling of the eyes and eyelids, leading to blindness. Walkers should also look out for rabbits with swollen head and ears along with further swellings on the skin.





Flu Lab Nears Completion
Wisconsin State Journal - www.madison.com
29 Oct 2007
D Wahlberg
Photo courtesy of C Schreiner - State Journal
Area: Wisconsin United States

Ten-inch walls made with crack-resistant concrete. Outlets sealed with silicone. Sensors for broken windows. Infrared surveillance beams. Redundant air handling systems. A back-up generator. UW-Madison's $12.5 million Institute for Influenza Viral Research, nearing completion at University Research Park, will have a collection of safety and security features the university hasn't seen before. Many people will be watching the work of the institute, to be directed by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka.Ten-inch walls made with crack-resistant concrete. Outlets sealed with silicone.Sensors for broken windows.

Infrared surveillance beams. Redundant air handling systems. A back-up generator. UW-Madison's $12.5 million Institute for Influenza Viral Research, nearing completion at University Research Park, will have a collection of safety and security features the university hasn't seen before. Many people will be watching the work of the institute, to be directed by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka.





OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS



WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

The Wildlife Professional
Volume 1, Issue 3

Melting Under Pressure [PDF]
The Wildlife Professional. 2007 Sep; 1(3); 24-27
I Stirling and A E Derocher

Resources for Wildlife Professionals [PDF]
The Wildlife Professional. 2007 Sep; 1(3); 36-39
CB Love and JF Kramer

at Tuesday, October 30, 2007 0 comments

October 29, 2007

Foot-and-mouth Disease Hits BBP
The Hindu - www.hindu.com
28 Oct 2007
Area: Karnataka India

Two mithuns and a blackbuck die; it is the first time the disease has been detected in the park

The Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) is facing an unprecedented crisis with the foot-and-mouth disease claiming the lives of two mithuns and a blackbuck. Moreover, in an unrelated incident, a six-year-old lion was found dead in its animal rescue centre on Saturday. According to Assistant Veterinary Officer of the park, G.K. Vishwanath, the lion, which was born in the park, had been unwell for nearly three months and its carcass had been sent to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB) “to know whether it died of cancer or tuberculosis”. But the bigger worry is the foot-and-mouth disease which has hit the park for the first time.

As a precautionary measure, the authorities have decided to close the herbivore safari to prevent the spread of the disease that is caused by an airborne virus. The Jungle Lodges and Resorts’ Bannerghatta Nature Camp will close its operations from Monday, K.B. Markandaiah, executive director of the park said. The blackbuck’s death on Saturday follows that of the mithun, a wild breed of cattle native to the North-East of the country. Nine blackbucks and some spotted deer were in the enclosures adjacent to that of the mithuns.





Epidemic Might Have Killed Six Elephants, Says Veterinarian
The Nation - nationmultimedia.com
27 Oct 2007
Area: Chanthaburi Thailand

The skeletons of the six elephants found on Thursday in Chanthaburi indicated that the animals might have died in great pain, a veterinarian said yesterday.

Pattarapon Maneeon said chemical poisoning might not be the only possibility and an epidemic could have killed them. The carcasses of the six cows, aged 15 to 40, were decomposed but vets managed to retrieve some flesh, bones, abdomen fat, grass from their stomachs and maggots. The jumbos were dead for two months so traces of disease or chemicals might have disintegrated and disappeared, Pattarapon said. He will contact the Medical Science Depart-ment, National Institute of Animal Health and veterinary faculties at universities to see if they can help with testing. Chalermsak Wanichsombat, director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, said he would ask for assistance from labs at Kasetsart and Mahidol universities.

He believes the elephants probably died from an epidemic, not chemicals, but wants scientific results to confirm the cause. Pattarapon said it appeared that the jumbos did not perish instantly and might have suffered a lot, as they appeared to have been struggling. Villagers had also spoken of hearing elephants crying in agony. The spot where they were found was known to have had other dead elephants before, so it was probably a graveyard where these six elephants hurting from food contamination came to die, he said. Judging from their position with their heads close together, they might have intertwined their trunks as they were all from the same herd.





New CWD Cases Found
Leader-Post - www.canada.com
26 Oct 2007
Area: Saskatchewan Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed animals in a white-tail deer herd and two elk hunt operations in Saskatchewan have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). As a result, the CFIA has quarantined a white-tail deer herd and an elk hunt operation in the Prince Albert area along with an elk hunt farm in the Moose Jaw area, an agency spokeswoman said. The most recent case was confirmed Tuesday in a farmed elk herd in the Prince Albert area. However, the agency spokeswoman said the quarantine would likely have been imposed while awaiting the test results. Saskatchewan's first suspected case of CWD this year was diagnosed earlier in the month.





Blue Tongue Disease Wracks Deer
The Daily Journal - daily-journal.com
27 Oct 2007
B Byrns
Area: Illinois United States

While most deer hunters are on the watch for signs of chronic wasting disease, another suspected illness is taking its toll on whitetails around the state. It's call "blue tongue" -- technically epizootic hemorrhagic disease -- which is affecting whitetail herds in several states, including Illinois. Last week, while vacationing in Illinois' deer capital -- downstate Pope County -- I heard disturbing tales from local hunters of recent deer deaths blamed on the blue tongue malady. The rumors prompted a phone call to Tom Micetick, deer manager for the state's Department of Natural Resource.

"There have been over 120 calls and more than 400 dead deer reported to me from around the state since our news release went out on Sept. 9," Micetick said. For now the results are listed as "suspected EHD deaths" until the disease is confirmed. The early reports come from 46 of Illinois' 102 counties and include two deer deaths from Will County. Micetick however is not sure the Will County deer are disease victims.





Badger Cull Is Just the Beginning...
Telegraph - www.telegraph.co.uk
29 Oct 2007
O Craig
Area: England United Kingdom

Britain's cattle are being infected with TB and badgers are to blame – so should they be exterminated? As Olga Craig reports, the badger war is only just beginning?… David Bevans is not the sentimental sort. As a farmer with a 30-strong herd of premium pedigree English longhorn cattle on his 80-acre holding in Carmarthen, he can't afford to be. His animals may have names not numbers, he may recognise their individual idiosyncrasies and temperaments, but they are not pets. They represent the livelihood on which Mr Bevan and his family depend.

For all that, he readily admits, he felt a lump in the throat when his award-winning 12-year-old cow, Bulford Georgina, was slaughtered at the abattoir a fortnight ago. Especially when, in Mr Bevan's opinion, it was utterly unnecessary. 'I liked that cow," he says testily. ''What's more, I feel that she was murdered. That's exactly how I feel: that she was murdered. And what is really galling is that she had to be slaughtered because she was deemed to be a 'reactor': an animal that may, but will not necessarily, develop bovine TB. ''After she was culled, her lungs tested clear," he says, shaking his head wearily. ''So she was killed for nothing. For no reason."





Catfish Die-off - USA: (MN, ND), Bacterial Etiology
ProMED-mail - www.promedmail.org
26 Oct 2007
Area: United States

Additional pathology tests have ruled out 2 deadly fish viruses -- viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and channel catfish virus [CCV] -- as causes of a die-off that killed thousands of catfish in early September [2007] along the Red River south of Grand Forks. Instead, the tests confirm the initial diagnosis that 2 bacterial infections, _Columnaris_ and _Aeromonas_, caused the catfish to die. According to Ling Shen, fish health specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in St. Paul, a nearly dead catfish sent to the DNR's pathology lab in early September [2007] tested positive for both bacteria, which occur naturally in the water. Meanwhile, 2 other fish caught by Grand Forks anglers and collected by DNR staff for testing a few weeks later showed skin lesions, Shen said, but were in better condition than the 1st catfish tested.

Neither of the fish had _Columnaris_ bacteria on their gills, she said, and none of the internal organs tested positive for the _Aeromonas_ bacteria. It's likely a combination of environmental factors, including high water temperatures and low river flows in the weeks leading up to the die-off, weakened the immune systems of the catfish, making them more susceptible to infection. Shen says cooler water and higher flows likely have reduced stress on the catfish and improved their immune systems. As recently as this past weekend [20-21 Oct 2007], though, anglers fishing the Red reported seeing catfish with scars and bleeding lesions.





OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS



WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

HPAI in Europe 2007: Concurrent Outbreaks in Poultry and Wild Birds [PDF]
EMPRES Watch. 2007 Aug.
S Newman et al.

Basic Oxidative Stress Metabolites in Eastern Pacific Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas agassizii) [online abstract only]
Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2007 Jul-Aug; 146(1-2): 111-7. Epub 2006 Jun 29.
PA Valdivia et al.

at Monday, October 29, 2007 0 comments

October 26, 2007

Massive Bird Die-off Tied to Invasive Snail
Winona Daily News - www.winonadailynews.com
26 Oct 2007
A Dulek
Area: Minnesota and Iowa, USA

Circling high over Lake Onalaska, two eagles fought over an American coot in one of the eagles’ talons. The eagle lost its grip, and the coot plunged into the water near Broken Gun Island. It bobbed to the surface but made little effort to escape as the eagles swooped overhead.

“He’s probably sick and they know it. It’s easy pickings around here,” said Calvin Gehri, a biological technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s La Crosse District. The dying coot would soon join the thousands of dead waterfowl Gehri and other refuge staff have collected along the shores of the Mississippi between Dresbach, Minn., and northern Iowa.

More than 25,000 birds — mostly coots and scaup — have died on the upper Mississippi River since 2002 as a result of eating faucet snails that carry an intestinal parasite, according to federal wildlife officials. From 2005 to 2006, there was a 16-fold increase in bird deaths in pools 8 and 9. Last fall, there were an estimated 5,000 bird deaths in the area between La Crescent, Minn., and MacGregor, Iowa.



Mystery Bee-killing Disease Returns to Florida
Cox News Service (Posted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - www.ajc.com)
25 Oct 2007
J Nesmith
Area: Florida, USA
Photo courtesy of PBS Nature



Unexplained honeybee deaths have recently started showing up in Florida, the same state where the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder was first discovered a year ago, the Agriculture Department's top bee scientist said Thursday. Jeffrey Pettis, research leader of the department's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., said it is too early to say if another round of bee die-offs has started.

The insect plague devastated thousands of commercial bee hives in several states last year, posing a threat to crops that depend on bees for pollination. When it occurs, worker bees fail to return to hives, leaving juvenile bees and some adults to die. "We have heard recently from Florida beekeepers who have colonies in declining health," said Pettis. Speaking at a conference on problems that confront honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, birds and other important pollinators, Pettis said specimens have been brought to his lab for analysis.

Colony Collapse Disorder, known as CCD, was first reported by a Florida beekeeper in November of last year. It quickly started showing up in other states.


Related Link


How Canine Distemper Virus Jumps Across Species
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com
26 Oct 2007

Researchers at the University of Leeds have made a breakthrough in understanding a virus which poses one of the greatest global disease threats to wild carnivores including lions, African wild dogs and several types of seal. The discovery of how canine distemper Virus (CDV) jumps across and infects different species of carnivores could lead to a more effective monitoring and control of the virus.

Whilst these ‘pathogen jumps’ across species are quite common, very little is known about the process of how viruses takes hold and become established in new host species. CDV is passed through close contact from domestic and feral dogs causing epidemics that often result in mass mortalities – and is pushing some species to the brink of extinction.




Badgers Cull Call is Rapped
Belfast Telegraph-www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
26 Oct 2007
L McKee
Area: United Kingdom
Photo courtesy of Guardian Unlimited; Photographer- Pal Hermansen/Getty Images

A report which recommends targeted culling of badgers in the battle to curb the spread of bovine tuberculosis has been slammed by wildlife experts in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Wildlife Trust said the report by the UK Government's chief scientific officer Sir David King flies in the face of science, public opinion and economics, and sweeps away 10 years of scientific research by the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) into the issue of badgers and bovine TB.

The ISG had recently reported that badger culling provides no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain and some policies being considered may make matters worse. However, the Ulster Farmers Union called on the Government to consider targeted culling, claiming the reservoir of TB in wildlife is not being addressed.


Related Articles



New Rule to Help Prevent Spread of Fish Disease [News Release]
Vermont. Agency of Natural Resources- www.vermont.gov
25 Oct 2007
Area: Vermont USA

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board has enacted a new Emergency Rule in response to a deadly new fish disease known as Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) that is rapidly spreading through the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes. The new rule affects baitfish use in Vermont and is designed to proactively head off the spread of VHS and other fish diseases to the state’s waters.

VHS is a serious fish disease recently discovered in the Great Lakes. The disease causes the hemorrhaging of fish tissues and internal organs and can kill tens of thousands of fish in a single event. The disease is currently known to affect 37 species of fish. Since there is no vaccination or cure, the disease cannot be controlled, only contained.

“We’ve been closely monitoring the situation in the Great Lakes since late 2005,” said Fish & Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Shawn Good. “In two years, the disease has spread through four of the five Great Lakes and it has jumped overland to a number of inland waters in Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York, killing tens of thousands of fish. This summer, VHS was confirmed in three of New York’s Finger Lakes, and that’s too close for comfort.”



OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS




WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Anthrax outbreak among Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) in Samburu, Kenya [online abstract only]
African Journal of Ecology. 2007 Dec; 45(4): 483-489(7)
PK Muoria et al.


Spiroplasma spp. from Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Brains or Ticks Induce Spongiform Encephalopathy in Ruminants [online abstract only]
Journal of Medical Microbiology. 2007 Sep;56(Pt 9):1235-42. 6 (9): 1235-1242
FO Bastian et al.


Mute swan (Cygnus olor) Winter Distribution and Numerical Trends over a 16-year Period (1987/1988-2002/2003) in France [online abstract only]
Journal of Ornithology. 2007 Oct; 148 (4): 477-487
C Fouque et al.

at Friday, October 26, 2007 0 comments

October 25, 2007

Readers: Dump CWD Eradication
Wisconsin State Journal - www.madison.com
24 Oct 2007
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Area: Wisconsin United States

Past time to end disastrous CWD policy

Never in my many years as a Wisconsin outdoorsman have I seen such a "head in the sand " mentality displayed by the Department of Natural Resources as their CWD eradication efforts. When this was discovered more than five years ago, they meant well but panicked and charted a course of action that now is unmistakenly a failure. They have spent over $30 million, and what have we got to show for it? An image that deer are no more worthy than rats in a dump.

Common sense tells us every species has diseases. To try to eradicate it is crazy. Science has proved CWD does not pass to humans, so why keep alienating the hunters and landowners with silly rules and regulations? Bringing the tradition back will bring the hunters back, which will bring the harvest back to manageable levels. Sounds too easy, right? If we don 't try it, how will we know?





Specialists in Infectious Disease and Global Health Convene at Philadelphia Meeting [Press Release]
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (Posted by www.eurekalert.org)
23 Oct 2007
Area: United States

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's 56th Annual Meeting Nov. 4-8 in Philadelphia

Nearly 2,500 physicians and scientists from institutions around the world such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health will meet at the 56th American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 4-8, in Philadelphia to discuss the latest research on infectious diseases and bioterrorist and global health threats.





Project to Study Death of Migratory Birds at Chilika
The Hindu - www.hindu.com
25 Oct 2007
Area: Orissa India

Alarmed over the sudden increase in the deaths of migratory birds in the last two years at the famous Chilika lake - where the yearly guests have started arriving - the State Forest Department is contemplating a detailed study on the unfortunate development. Coimbatore-based 'Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History' (SACON) has submitted a proposal to the Wildlife Division of the Forest Department for surveillance of waterfowl at Nalabana Bird Sanctuary inside the lake, a senior official said on Thurday.





Frog Deformities Linked to Fertilizer Runoff
The Daily Cardinal - www.dailycardinal.com
25 Oct 2007
K Masterson
Area: United States

Nutrients kick off a series of events leading to mutated frogs

Fertilizer runoff may be fostering parasite populations and causing an increase in frog deformities, a University of Colorado study published in September suggested. Deformed frogs first started attracting attention in 1995 when Minnesota schoolchildren found a number of frogs with missing or extra limbs. While theories abound as to possible causes for the malformations, Pieter Johnson of the University of Colorado at Boulder and his team discovered that excess nitrogen and phosphorus initiated a series of events leading to deformed frogs. Johnson’s lab tests demonstrated a chain of effects that resulted in an increase in parasites which interfere with normal frog development.

Their study showed that increases in nitrogen and phosphorus lead to increased algae production, a food source for water snail populations. The snails, which feed on the algae, serve as hosts for microscopic parasites known as trematodes. Ultimately, these parasites are released from the snails and infect tadpoles’ cells causing cysts to form. These cysts lead to malformations as the frogs develop, including missing or extra limbs. “If there are more snails, the parasites are more likely to find a snail,” Johnson said in an interview with New Scientist.





OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS


WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Encephalitis in a Stone Marten (Martes foina) after Natural Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Subtype H5N1 [online abstract only]
J Comp Pathol. 2007 Aug-Oct; 137(2-3): 155-159
R Klopfleisch et al.

Ser170 Controls the Conformational Multiplicity of the Loop 166-175 in Prion Proteins: Implication for Conversion and Species Barrier [PDF]
FASEB J. 2007 Oct;21(12):3279-87. Epub 2007 May 23.
AA Gorfe and A Caflisch

Gender-Based Harvesting in Wildlife Disease Management [online abstract only]
American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2007 Nov; 89(4): 904-920
EP Fenichel and RD Horan

at Thursday, October 25, 2007 0 comments

October 24, 2007

Common Sense Demands Badger Cull
The Telegraph - www.telegraph.co.uk
24 Oct 2007
Area: United Kingdom

The badger-lovers smell a rat. They see Sir David King as a stooge put up to rubbish the 10-year study delivered by Prof John Bourne earlier this year, which said badger culling might actually be counter-productive in controlling bovine TB.

To be sure, there were always those in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — Lord Rooker for one — who were never happy with Prof Bourne's conclusions and who were convinced a cull of badgers as well as cattle was needed in the most infected areas. But remember, it has been the job of Sir David, as chief scientific officer, to review a lot of science where the researchers could not see the wood for the trees. This time he has done us all a favour by cutting through the sophistry, sentimentality and obfuscation that has bedevilled the area of bovine TB control and replaced it with common sense.




Rabid Skunk Trapped Near Loma
The Daily Sentinel - www.gjsentinel.com
23 Oct 2007
M Saccone
Area: Colorado, USA

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed that a skunk trapped near the Loma boat launch has tested positive for rabies. Kristy Westerman, spokeswoman for the Mesa County Health Department said the skunk, which was trapped last week, is the first animal other than a bat to test positive for rabies in Mesa County in at least three decades.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the skunk was trapped after it exhibited aggressive behavior toward a man. Westerman said residents should avoid contact with wild or stray animals and vaccinate their pets.



British Farms at Risk of Bird Flu Spread
Reuters UK - uk.reuters.com
24 Oct 2007
M Kahn
Photo Courtesy of Reuters/L MacGregor
Area: United Kingdom

Controls will probably prevent the large-scale spread of bird flu from one farm to another in Britain but there is still a significant chance that the virus will escape, researchers said on Wednesday. Using data collected on poultry farms, feed mills and slaughter houses, the researchers ran millions of computer simulations to calculate the potential impact of the H5N1 avian influenza virus striking Britain's poultry industry.

The detailed model showed that with current control strategies about 73 percent of the infections would not spread beyond the originally infected farm. But this also meant there was a 27 percent chance a random infection would spread, though probably only to a small number of sites because of safeguards in place, said Kieran Sharkey, a mathematician at Liverpool University, who worked on the study.



OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE NEWS



WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Radiographic Features of the Limbs of Juvenile and Subadult Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) [online abstract only]
Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 2007 Oct;
AL Valente et al.

Studies of Reservoir Hosts for Marburg Virus. [PDF]
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Dec; [Epub ahead of print]
R Swanepoel et al.

Bartonella australis sp. nov. from Kangaroos, Australia. [Letter][PDF].
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Dec; [Epub ahead of print]
P-E Fournier et al.

Newfound Hantavirus in Chinese Mole Shrew, Vietnam [PDF]
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Nov; [Epub ahead of print]
J.-W. Song et al.

at Wednesday, October 24, 2007 0 comments

October 23, 2007

Top Scientist Calls for Badger Cull to Stop TB Spread to Cattle
Daily Mail - dailymail.co.uk
23 Oct 2007
F Macrae
Area: England United Kingdom

Large numbers of badgers need to be culled to stop the spread of tuberculosis among cattle, the country's chief scientist said last night. Sir David King called for the creatures to be trapped and killed in areas in which bovine TB is rife. His official advice appears, however, to contradict a Governmentcommissioned report which found that such a move would not be cost effective. Critics of culling, including the RSPCA, accused Sir David of advocating 'senseless slaughter' and relying on political rather than scientific arguments.

Calling for the process to be taken as humanely as possible, Sir David said culling badgers was the best way to stop TB spreading from them to farm animals. He said that in the longer term vaccination might help to control a disease that leads to 30,000 cattle being put down every year. But Sir David told the BBC that "now was the time for action". "We cannot solve the problem by looking at cattle alone, so we have come back to where we have been for the last 15 or 20 years, looking at how to deal with the problem in badgers as well," he said.





Crayfish Threatened by Disease Outbreak
EADT - eadt.co.uk
22 Oct 2007
Area: England United Kingdom

A highly-contagious disease threatening the future of Britain's endangered white-clawed crayfish has broken out, the Environment Agency said today. Hundreds of dead crayfish have been found in the River Waveney, near Beccles, over recent weeks. Amanda Elliott, spokeswoman for the EA, said tests today confirmed an outbreak of Aphanomyces astaci, commonly known as crayfish plague. Measures are now being put in place to try to prevent any spread, particularly to rivers populated by the British white-clawed crayfish.





Herd Diseases Add Curve to Hunting
The Herald-Mail - herald-mail.com
22 Oct 2007
B Anderson
Area: United States

One of the major problems for large wildlife populations is the potential for disease, especially those transmitted between animals. In our area, and actually for most of the country, the most alarming is Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD has been confirmed in the deer herd around Slanesville, W.Va., but so far has been confined to that general area. CWD is very bad business. It is similar to, but not the same as, Mad Cow Disease. CWD is giving wildlife managers problems in formulating policies and regulations as they try to keep the disease from expanding to areas currently free of the disease.

If you hunt in areas that have CWD, it affects all aspects of the way you handle the butchering of animals and the handling of meat, antlers and capes. For example, if you are hunting out-of-state or in a state with confirmed CWD, the chances are that you will not be able to legally deliver the antlers and cape to your favorite taxidermist in Maryland. If in doubt, it would be a good idea to check with your taxidermist before the trip. A friend recently told me he is having his Colorado elk, taken this fall during the early bow season, mounted by a Colorado taxidermist.





OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS


JOURNAL ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Histology and Immunohistochemistry of Tigers and Birds Naturally Infected with H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Thailand [PDF]
JARQ. 2007; 41(3): 247–252
T. Patichimasiri et al.

Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Face Protracted Health Risks Associated with Lifetime Exposure to PCBs [free full-text available]
Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007 Aug; 41 (18): 6613 -6619
BE Hickie et al.

The Continuing Spread of West Nile Virus in the Western Hemisphere [online abstract only]
Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Oct 15; 45(8):1039-46. Epub 2007 Sep 14.
DJ Gubler

at Tuesday, October 23, 2007 0 comments

October 22, 2007

Ebola Viruses 'Capable of Merging' into New Strains
SciDev.Net - scidev.net
19 Oct 2007
E Tola
Area: Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo Africa

Scientists have discovered that a strain of Ebola virus isolated from wild apes in the Gabon/Congo region belongs to a new lineage and is capable of genetically merging with other strains of the virus to create new variants. This ability of the lethal virus to 'recombine' genetic material has important implications for vaccine development, write the researchers. A vaccine that is made up of weakened viruses could merge with the wild virus to form new strains, making the spread of the virus in humans and apes harder to predict and control. The findings were published online this week (17 October) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists from the International Centre for Medical Research in Franceville, Gabon, and their colleagues genetically analysed samples of Zaire Ebola virus — the most virulent type, which causes haemorrhagic fever and death within days in almost 90 per cent of infected people — taken from carcasses of great apes. They identified a new strain, strain B, that is genetically different from the strain A samples collected in past outbreaks from infected humans. The researchers estimate that strain B probably evolved just before the first recorded human outbreak in 1976. They confirmed that it was the cause of outbreaks in humans in the Republic of Congo in 2003 and 2005.


>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Article



Viruses from Tropical Countries Are Moving to Temperate Zones
Europaworld - europaworld.org
20 Oct 2007

Animal diseases are advancing globally and countries will have to invest more in surveillance and control measures, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said this week, citing West Nile Virus, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever and other plagues that have crossed from tropical to temperate zones. “No country can claim to be a safe haven with respect to animal diseases,” warned FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech in a news release. “Transboundary animal diseases that were originally confined to tropical countries are on the rise around the globe. They do not spare temperate zones including Europe, the United States and Australia,” he added. Globalization, the movement of people and goods, tourism, urbanization and probably also climate change are favouring the spread of animal viruses around the planet, FAO noted.

“The increased mobility of viruses and their carriers is a new threat that countries and the international community should take seriously. Early detection of viruses together with surveillance and control measures are needed as effective defence measures,” Mr. Domenech said, calling for strong political support and funding for animal health and more adequate veterinary services. The agency raised concern about the spread of the non-contagious bluetongue virus, which affects cattle, goats, deer and sheep. First discovered in South Africa, it has spread to many countries for reasons that remain unclear, FAO said.





New Wisconsin Law Aimed at Keeping Feed from Elk, Bear
Ironwood Daily Globe - ironwooddailyglobe.com
21 Oct 2007
Area: Wisconsin United States

People who feed wild animals should be aware of a new regulation in Wisconsin that took effect Oct. 1. The new regulation requires people feeding deer for non-hunting purposes to stop feeding for a period of at least 30 days if the feed site begins to be used by elk or black bears. It is illegal to feed wild bear and elk in Wisconsin. Bears may be baited in accordance with certain restrictions for hunting purposes only, and if the person placing the bait holds a valid Class B Bear license.

There is no hunting season for elk in Wisconsin. Department of Natural Resources officials said the new rule helps protect wildlife, including deer, bear and elk, from infectious disease and reduces the risk of automobile-wildlife collisions. "The new rule requiring removal of feed from a deer feeding site applies to residences and businesses," said Tom Van Haren, WDNR conservation warden. "If the owner is notified by the DNR or otherwise becomes aware that bear or elk have been using a feeding site, he or she must stop the practice for not less than 30 days."





Bluetongue Spread from Norfolk Flock
EDP24 - edp24.co.uk
19 Oct 2007
Area: England United Kingdom

Bluetongue disease was transported to a sheep flock at Peterborough from a farm in central Norfolk, it emerged last night. Animal health officials are now checking when the ram became infected by the midge-borne disease. “We have traced the disease that has grown in Peterborough and Ashford to movements of livestock rather than blown-in midges from the continent,” said farming minister Lord (Jeff) Rooker. A senior official Defra official has also confirmed that livestock on Norfolk farms are likely to be have been infected by the midges over the past two months.

Scientists are working on the theory that a plume brought the midges over the North Sea on or about August 4 or 5, which came up the Orwell estuary and then effectively came up the A140 towards the centre of Norfolk. This explains why virtually the whole of Norfolk was designated within the extensive control zone once the bluetongue outbreak had been declared on September 28 - stretching almost 75 miles from the source of the first cases at Baylham, near Ipswich. Former Norfolk farmers' leader William Brigham, was briefed by Defra's head of exotic diseases, Sarah Church, said that it seems the ram was moved legally from Norfolk to Fitzwilliam Farms' Milton Park sheep flock, near Peterborough. Mr Brigham said: “The assumption they're working on is that the whole of Norfolk has possibly got bluetongue. In other words any animal moving out of the control zone is potentially a bluetongue carrier.”





Blueprint to Hit Tb Pests Where It Counts
stuff.co.nz
19 Oct 2007
T Cronshaw
Area: New Zealand

Research on Molesworth Station has provided a new blueprint for controlling the spread of bovine Tb, challenging conventional thinking on the issue.

Deep in the heart of Molesworth Station, scientists think they have cracked the secret to mopping up problem high-country areas where bovine tuberculosis (Tb) lingers. The results from three years of studying station wildlife that catches, carries and passes on the disease will be used as a pest-control blueprint that challenges conventional wisdom and is a departure from blanketing the land with 1080 poison. The vastness of Molesworth's 183,000 hectares, and other high-country farms like it, means it is too difficult and too expensive to expect to drop 1080 from the air over the entire station. Landcare Research scientists have discovered in a $500,000 project that it is better to isolate the areas where the pests are deep-rooted by studying their movement, altitude range and habitat patterns, and then target the high-risk areas.

Project leader Dr Andrea Byrom likens finding the answer to fitting together many small pieces in a puzzle. "There have always been concerns about aerial control because there will be some possums left in the areas you leave out. What we are advocating is a bit different in that the focus is on your critical key areas first and you should be able to achieve much better results. "Where the possums are bad and very likely where there are a lot of feral pigs, is more likely to be where Tb is a problem in the landscape.





OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS



JOURNAL ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Spatial, Temporal, and Species Variation in Prevalence of Influenza A Viruses in Wild Migratory Birds [free full-text available]
PLoS Pathog. 2007 May 11; 3(5): e61
VJ Munster et al.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) Affects Mosquito Blood Feeding Patterns [online abstract only]
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2007 Sep; 77(3): 488-94
JM Darbro et al.

Sarcocystis Sp-Associated Meningoencephalitis in a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) [online abstract only]
J Vet Diagn Invest. 2007 Sep; 19(5): 564-8
EJ Olson et al.

at Monday, October 22, 2007 0 comments

October 19, 2007

Harbor Seals May Help Determine Effect on Humans of Eating Toxic Fish
San Francisco Chronicle - www.sfgate.com
J Kay
19 Oct 2007
Photo courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle (>> more images here)



Harbor seals in San Francisco Bay are so contaminated with chemicals such as flame retardants and the pesticide DDT that scientists are studying whether the pollutants hurt the pups' chances of survival, data that can add to knowledge about the contaminants' effects on humans.

About 500 harbor seals that rest on the bay's beaches eat the same kinds of fish caught by local anglers, and the seals live in waters shared by swimmers, surfers and kayakers. What happens to these marine mammals could offer clues as to how pollution from sewage and dirty rain runoff can affect other mammals, including sea lions, otters and even people, scientists say.

The study, financed in part by a $100,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focuses on the offspring of harbor seals that rest on Castro Rocks near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in view of ferryboat traffic and the Chevron refinery.



Deadly Tasmanian Devil Cancer Spreads
The Sydney Morning Herald - www.smh.com.au
19 Oct 2007

The deadly cancer threatening to drive Tasmanian Devils into extinction has entered one of the marsupial's last remaining disease-free frontiers. Experts also fear the disease will spread across the devil's entire habitat within five years and are not confident disease-free animals could be sourced from the wild after the middle of next year.

The hideous Facial Tumour Disease has been found in one of the animal's highest density populations at Nawrantapu National Park, in Tasmania's north. University of Tasmania wildlife biologist Hamish McCallum said time was running out to save the species as the cancer spread into unaffected populations.




Md. Targets Deadly Virus
Baltimore Sun – www.baltimoresun.com
19 Oct 2007

The start of one of Maryland's most popular hunting seasons gave state wildlife managers their first look at the effects of a deadly virus on the white-tailed deer population. Biologists were at taxidermy and butcher shops yesterday for the first day of the two-day-early muzzleloader season to look at the health of deer and to ask hunters whether they have seen signs of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, a naturally occurring outbreak that happens every year on the East Coast.

"In a low-level year, no one even knows about it but us," Pete Jayne of the Department of Natural Resources said. "But this year, we're hearing about it. The early muzzleloader season and firearms season [next month], we'll start to see the impact." So far, the state has confirmed cases in four counties, all on the Eastern Shore.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related Article


OTHER DISEASE RELATED NEWS


WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Effects of Supplemental Feeding on Gastrointestinal Parasite Infection in Elk (Cervus elaphus): Preliminary Observations
Veterinary Parasitology . 2007 Sep 30;148(3-4):350-5. Epub 2007 Aug 9.
AM Hines et al.

Culling-induced Social Perturbation in Eurasian Badgers Meles meles and the Management of TB in Cattle: an Analysis of a Critical Problem in Applied Ecology
Proceeding of the Royal Society Biological Sciences. 2007 Nov 7;274(1626):2769-77.
SP Carter et al.

Using Fatty-Acid Profile Analysis as an Ecologic Indicator in the Management of Tourist Impacts on Marine Wildlife: A Case of Stingray-Feeding in the Caribbean
Environmental Management. 2007 Oct;40(4):665-77. Epub 2007 Jul 18.
CAD Semeniuk et al.

at Friday, October 19, 2007 0 comments

October 18, 2007

Sickened Birds Recover, Fly Off in O.C.
CBS - cbs2.com
17 Oct 2007
Area: California United States

The illness that killed nearly three dozen sandpipers brought to the Huntington Beach Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center appears to have abated Tuesday, but its cause remains a mystery, officials said. Sightings of ill sanderlings and plovers were received at the Huntington Beach facility on Saturday -- several days after 39 sick and paralyzed birds were brought in -- but volunteers could not catch them because they were well enough to get away, said Debbie McGuire, a director of the center. "We haven't seen any new cases, and we haven't had any calls since Saturday," McGuire said. Of the 39 brought in, only four -- three sanderlings and a Western Snowy Plover -- survived, McGuire said.





Invasive Ticks, Elk Herds Tick Off Yukoners
CBS - cbc.ca
17 Oct 2007
Area: Alaska United States

Retired biologist suggests destroying all elk to save moose population

Yukoners at a public meeting Tuesday said the clock is ticking on saving the moose population from a pesky parasite — winter ticks discovered earlier this year in elk herds. Many at the forum to discuss the government's new elk management strategy also blamed the elk themselves for putting the indigenous moose at risk. "We're sitting on a time bomb. It's ticking," Grant Lortie, a retired Yukon government wildlife biologist, told the meeting. "I think it's the priority issue in the management plan."

In March, government wildlife biologists found winter ticks — also known as moose ticks or elk ticks — among 20 elk they captured. While they do not pose a risk to human or elk health, winter ticks can spread from elk to moose. Infected moose can lose hair and blood, and possibly die from emaciation and exposure due to hair loss. Michelle Oakley, an Environment Department wildlife veterinarian, said it does not appear the ticks have moved from elk to moose, but the fall is a prime time for that to happen.





Cold May Be behind Large Die-off of Fish in Sloan's Lake
Rocky Mountain News - rockymountainnews.com
18 Oct 2007
H Gutierrez
Area: Colorado United States

A large fish die-off at Sloan's Lake may be linked to cold weather killing algae, which leads to oxygen being absorbed from the water, authorities said Wednesday. While scores of dead fish were bobbing in the west Denver lake, catfish, crappie, coy, bluegill and perch were gasping on the lake's southwestern shore where an inlet from Edgewater releases fresh, oxygenated water. Such die-offs are natural seasonal events when abundant algae killed by a cold snap decompose and drift to the bottom of the shallow lake, absorbing oxygen, officials from Denver's Department of Environmental Health said. Samples from the lake are being tested, but so far officials don't believe the water was contaminated by a toxin, said Ellen Dumm, the city's environmental health communications director.

"It's a sizable die-off," Dumm said. Staff from the Colorado Division of Wildlife also scooped up a handful of dead fish and took them for testing to their fish lab in Brush, said Jennifer Churchill, the division's spokeswoman. The wildlife division is responsible for stocking the lake with fish. Maintenance workers for the city's Parks and Recreation Department were attempting to remove the dead fish, but by afternoon many remained in the lake uncollected.





Hemorrhagic Disease Outbreak in White-tailed Deer Continues in Maryland [Press Release]
Maryland Department of Natural Resources - dnr.state.md.us
17 Oct 2007
Area: Maryland United States

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds hunters that Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) has been confirmed in Maryland and is the likely cause of death of white-tailed deer reported from numerous counties across the state. EHD is a naturally occurring disease that affects white-tailed deer and, rarely, domestic livestock. The disease poses no threat to humans. EHD is common throughout the eastern United States and outbreaks occur annually in Maryland at differing degrees. The disease is often, but not always, fatal to deer. This year confirmed or suspected cases of EHD have been documented in counties on the Eastern Shore, central and southern Maryland, and as far west as Allegany County.

The disease has also been reported in the neighboring states of Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. EHD should not be confused with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal disease of deer that has not been found in Maryland to date. EHD typically occurs from mid-August through October and is caused by a virus that is transmitted to deer through the bite of tiny flying midges (“no-see-ums”). EHD is not transmitted by direct contact between deer and cannot be spread to humans. Humans are not at risk of being bitten by infected midges or from handling or eating the meat of affected deer.






OTHER DISEASE RELATED NEWS



JOURNAL ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Development of Methodology to Prioritise Wildlife Pathogens for Surveillance [online abstract only]
Prev Vet Med. 2007 Sep 14; 81(1-3): 194-210
J McKenzie et al.

Suppurative Polyarthritis in Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) from Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Detection of Mycoplasma DNA [online abstract only]
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2007 Sep; 38(3): 388-99
LM Ganley-Leal et al.

Diseases in Hungarian Goose and Duck Flocks Caused by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Strain (H5N1 subtype) [free full-text available]
Magyar Allatorvosok Lapja. 2007 Jul; 129 (7): 387-399
E Ivanics et al.

at Thursday, October 18, 2007 0 comments

October 17, 2007

DEC Confirms First Case of Deer Disease in New York [Press Release]
readMedia Newswire
16 Oct 2007
Area: New York, USA

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease is Detected in Deer Samples From Albany County

Recent tests for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in several Albany County deer have come back positive, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. This is the first confirmed detection of EHD in New York State. EHD does not present a threat to human health. "DEC's wildlife managers have been monitoring EHD as it has worked its way north through neighboring states," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said.

"While other states' experiences indicate that it is not anticipated to have a long-term effect on the health of our deer herd, we will continue to monitor the spread of this disease and its potential impact." EHD is predominantly a disease affecting deer and is transmitted by certain types of biting flies called midges. It mainly affects deer in late summer and fall, but the flies die and the disease subsides when frosts and colder temperatures occur.




It Pays to Have Insurance, Especially If You Are a Devil
ABC - Northern Tasmania
17 Oct 2007
S Maiden
Area: Tasmania

Tasmanian scientists breathed a sigh of relief today as it was confirmed that the insurance population of Tasmanian devils in Victoria do not have the deadly facial tumour disease. Last year Tasmania exported twenty four Tasmanian devils to zoos around the country to guarantee the species' survival. Recently one of these so called 'insurance devils' at Victoria's Healesville Sanctuary was thought to have the cancer, however it was confirmed today that the small lump found on the devil is not the facial tumour disease.

Unlike most of their mates still their native Tasmania, these devils are disease free and carry the responsibility of staying healthy. 80 000 devils have died from the tumour, so when a red lump was discovered in the mouth of one of the insurance population, alarm was raised. The Tasmanian government has spent three million dollars on research and control of the disease, so the government department trying to save the devils were relieved.




NTU Researchers Gain Understanding of Shrimp Virus
Taipei Times
12 Oct 2007
A Oung
Area: Taiwan

Aquaculture researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) say that genetic analysis is yielding new insight into the workings of a virus that has devastated shrimp stocks in the nation since it was discovered in 1992. Although her team is working on a way of inoculating shrimp against the dreaded White Spot Syndrome Baculovirus Complex(WSSV), aquaculture researcher Lo Chu-fang (羅竹芳) said that there was much Taiwanese shrimp farmers could do to overcome the disease through better aquaculture practices.

"We found that during periods of stress, the level of WSSV increases in the shrimp's body at an astonishing rate," Lo said. "For instance, we have observed virus levels increasing 100,000-fold during spawning, which is a stressful event." Local shrimp-rearing methods put a lot of stress on shrimp stocks because local shrimp farmers tend to adopt a very intensive approach, Lo said. "We are talking about keeping up to a million shrimp per hectare of aquaculture pond whereas abroad 300,000 to 400,000 is the norm," Lo said.




OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE NEWS


WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED PUBLICATIONS

SEANET: (Seabird Ecological Assessment Network) Monitoring Seabird Mortality
WDIN Highlights
Volume 2, Issue 10

Development of Methodology to Prioritise Wildlife Pathogens for Surveillance
Prev Vet Med. 2007 Sep 14;81(1-3):194-210. Epub 2007 May 7.
J McKenzie et. al

A Qualitative Assessment Tool for the Potential of Infectious Disease Emergence and Spread
Prev Vet Med. 2007 Sep 14;81(1-3):80-91. Epub 2007 May 11.
VE Bridges

Behaviour of Australian Rainforest Stream Frogs May Affect the Transmission of Chytridiomycosis
Dis Aquat Organ. 2007 Aug 13;77(1):1-9.
JJ Rowley and RA Alford

at Wednesday, October 17, 2007 0 comments

October 16, 2007

Two More Hawaiian Birds on Brink of Extinction
Environment News Service - ens-newswire.com
15 Oct 2007
Area: Hawaii United States

A national bird protection group and a Hawaiian bird expert are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend protection to two increasingly rare birds found only on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Population surveys conducted this spring show that these species may be on the brink of extinction. The two birds - the akikiki and the akeke'e - are not adequately protected by existing regulatory mechanisms, the petitioners say. The American Bird Conservancy and Dr. Eric VanderWerf submitted a petition Thursday requesting protection under the Endangered Species Act for the akeke'e and the akikiki, two Hawaiian honeycreepers.

He is still engaged in keeping the unique birds of Hawaii from vanishing into extinction. He says more research is needed to determine why populations of the akikiki and the akeke'e a have been in steep decline since 1970, although other Hawaiian birds are known to have gone extinct due to a combination of habitat loss and degradation caused by invasive alien plants and browsing and rooting by feral pigs, diseases spread by introduced mosquitoes, predation by alien mammals such as rats, and catastrophes such as hurricanes. "Recent surveys show that the akikiki and the akeke'e are in serious trouble," said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy.





Announcements 2007: Interactive Map of ProMED Reports Available - Archive Number 20071015.3378
ProMED-mail - promedmail.org
11 Oct 2007

A mapping system for visualizing ProMED-mail reports is now available. This system, developed by HealthMap in collaboration with ProMED-mail, automatically places links to ProMED-mail reports on a world map. Clicking on a map marker will access a list of reports corresponding to the selected location. These in turn can be clicked to link back to the original ProMED-mail report. The map can be zoomed and panned, and specific diseases and date ranges selected. In some countries, reports are mapped to the state or province level (with increased global geographic resolution in progress).





Deadly Deer Virus
WHAS 11 News - whas11.com
15 Oct 2007
Area: Kentucky United States

A prominent Kentuckiana outdoorsman, Jim Strader, says a deadly deer virus is worse than the state is reporting. As Joe Arnold found out, Strader is sending out that warning to hunters just four weeks from gun season. The state says there’s no cause for alarm despite 4,000 confirmed deer deaths from EHD. But, popular outdoorsman and radio host Jim Strader told Joe Arnold that the state dropped the ball as the deer were dying, and he is sounding the alarm.

“If they had had their conservation officers out in the field when the die off occurred, I think the numbers would be astronomical compared to what they’re reporting,” said Strader. He went on to say that “ The farmers have been reporting to me on the radio show for weeks now, about finding 15, 20, 27 dead deer when they harvest their corn and soybeans.” Biting midges or gnats spread epizootic Hemorrhaging Disease. It attacks blood vessels, causing deer to hemorrhage to death.





Project Could Help Monitor Herd Health
Lexington Herald-Leader - kentucky.com
14 Oct 2007
Area: Kentucky United States

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's pilot project to make compost from roadkilled deer, wood chips and horse muck could help wildlife biologists monitor Kentucky's deer herd for Chronic Wasting Disease. "We could cooperate with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources by providing them with tissue samples," said Steve Higgins, a research specialist in biosystems and agricultural engineering at the University of Kentucky, who is providing technical assistance to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Higgins said he has applied for a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 4 in Atlanta, Ga., that could be used to pay for taking brain and spinal cord tissue samples from the deer highway workers pick up from state roads. For the past five years, state wildlife biologists have been taking tissue samples from about 2,500 hunter-killed deer as part of their CWD monitoring efforts.





JOURNAL ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Pathology of Inhalational Anthrax Infection in the African Green Monkey [online abstract only]
Vet Pathol. 2007 Sep; 44(5): 716-21
NA Twenhafel et al.

Parasitic and Infectious Disease Responses to Changing Global Nutrient Cycles [free full-text available]
EcoHealth. 2007 Sep; [Epub ahead of print]
VJ McKenzie and AR Townsend

Discovery of a Novel Alveolate Pathogen Affecting Southern Leopard Frogs in Georgia: Description of the Disease and Host Effects [free full-text available]
EcoHealth. 2007 Sep; 4(3): 310-317
AK Davis et al.

at Tuesday, October 16, 2007 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)