Wildlife Disease News Digest

Great Egret tested for H5 virus
Media-Newswire.com - media-newswire.com
06 Feb 2008
Area: Mai Po Nature Reserve, Yuen Long, China
Photo courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology Great Egret Fact Sheet

Preliminary testing of a Great Egret found in Yuen Long had indicated a suspected case of H5 avian influenza, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ( AFCD ) said today ( February 5 ), adding that further confirmatory tests were being conducted.

The bird carcass was found and collected on February 2 at Tam Kon Chau, Yuen Long. The Great Egret is a common resident and winter visitor to Hong Kong.

"As a precautionary measure, the Mai Po Nature Reserve will be temporarily closed to visitors for 21 days starting tomorrow ( February 6 ). We will monitor the situation closely and review the closure period as necessary," the spokesman said.

AFCD has maintained a stringent monitoring regime on wild birds in the Mai Po Nature Reserve and collected faecal samples for H5 testing since the winter of 2002.

AFCD and the Mai Po Nature Reserve have always maintained close communication with each other to ensure precautionary measures against avian influenza are in place to safeguard public health.

The spokesman said there were no chicken farms within three kilometres of where the bird was found.

Coral Reefs May Be Protected By Natural Ocean Thermostat
Science Daily
08 Feb 2008

Natural processes may prevent oceans from warming beyond a certain point, helping protect some coral reefs from the impacts of climate change, new research finds. The study, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), finds evidence that an ocean "thermostat" appears to be helping to regulate sea-surface temperatures in a biologically diverse region of the western Pacific.

The research team, led by NCAR scientist Joan Kleypas, looked at the Western Pacific Warm Pool, a region northeast of Australia where naturally warm sea-surface temperatures have risen little in recent decades. As a result, the reefs in that region appear to have suffered relatively few episodes of coral bleaching, a phenomenon that has damaged reefs in other areas where temperature increases have been more pronounced.

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Chronic wasting disease not an issue here
Daily News - www.wahpetondailynews.com
08 Feb 2008
J Johnson
Area: North Dakota, USA

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced samples taken from North Dakota deer, elk and moose during the 2007 hunting season have tested negative for chronic wasting disease. Captive deer and elk are also susceptible to the disease, which is a neurological disorder that leads to chronic weight loss and death.

Last fall, nearly 60 elk and moose were tested and more than 1,200 samples were taken from deer in the eastern third of the state, according to the department Web site.

Nearly 60 elk and moose were sent to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. The high transmissibility of the disease has made it difficult to eradicate, said Dr. Erika Butler, the department wildlife veterinarian."We've never had it here, and that's the good news," she said. States like South Dakota and Minnesota are still threatened by chronic wasting disease invading the captive wildlife.

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Sixth International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - www.cdc.gov/mmwr
08 Feb 2008

The sixth International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases will be held March 16--19, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference brings together public health professionals to encourage exchange of scientific and public health information on global emerging infectious diseases.

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OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of Boston.com