Wildlife Disease News Digest

Grey Heron tested for H5 virus
Media Newswire – media-newswire.com
12 Feb 2008
Area: Hong Kong, China

Preliminary testing of a Grey Heron found in Lok Ma Chau had indicated a suspected case of H5 avian influenza, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department ( AFCD ) said today ( February 11 ), adding that further confirmatory tests were being conducted.
The bird carcass was found and collected on February 8 near San Sam Road, Lok Ma Chau. Grey Heron is a kind of waterbird and common winter visitor to Hong Kong.

The spokesman said there are three commercial chicken farms within three kilometers of where the bird was found. The AFCD had immediately dispatched inspection staff to these chicken farms, and had found no abnormal mortality or symptoms of avian influenza among the chicken flocks.

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65 dead birds wash ashore after plant dumps sewage
insideBayArea – www.insidebayarea.com
10 Feb 2008
J Staats
Area: California, USA

An environmental group is calling for an investigation after 65 dead birds washed ashore at Richardson Bay during the past two weeks. Officials at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Tiburon were unsure if the spike in deaths is linked to recent sewage spills in the area.

"At this point," said center director Brooke Langston, "we don't know what's causing this. While it's not unusual for us to find dead birds on our shores, this has now reached a level that should cause a great deal of concern."

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Gharials, Monarch Of Indian Rivers, Under Grave Threat
ScienceDaily – www.sciencedaily.com
12 Feb 2008
Area: India

More than 90 gharials (Gangeticus gavialis) have been reported dead in the last 2 months in the National Chambal Sanctuary in India for yet-to-be diagnosed reasons. The monarch of Indian rivers is under severe threat.

A team of international veterinarians and crocodile experts - on government request - is working closely with scientists from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI). Early results point to levels of heavy metals - lead and cadmium – leading to immune-suppression (or reduction in body’s ability to fight pathogens) and thereby making them susceptible to infections. Post mortems on gharials show debilitating gout affecting the animals.

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Caribou Not Keeping Up With Warming Climate
Current Results – www.currentresults.com
12 Feb 2008 (posted to site)
L Osborn

Researchers have traced a sharp decline in survival of caribou calves to climatic warming. While arctic plants have kept pace with the earlier arrival of spring temperatures, the caribou that graze on those plants have not. The resulting disconnection between forage and herbivore is what scientists term a "trophic mismatch".

Female caribou are best off giving birth as tundra plants sprout in spring. That gives new moms the best nourishment plants can offer when it's most needed to support their nursing calves. North of the Arctic Circle, plants peak briefly in nutrition and digestibility soon after emerging from thawing ground.

The trophic mismatch arises from caribou and plants relying on different environmental cues. Caribou depend upon the length of daylight for prompting their migration to calving grounds. Plants, on the other hand, use springtime temperatures to trigger growing.

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Related Journal Article

>>> Climate change reduces reproductive success of an Arctic herbivore through trophic mismatch. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B. 2008; In press.

Badgers to blame for TB, says new report
NewsWales – www.newswales.co.uk
13 Feb 2008
Area: United Kingdom

New research published today makes it crystal clear that infected badgers are responsible for the vast majority of TB outbreaks in cattle, said NFU Cymru today. Only by targeting infected badgers will we ever get on top of this pernicious disease, and the sooner we do it, the better. This is firm scientific evidence upon which the Rural Affairs Minister should progress her commitment to TB eradication,' said NFU Cymru President, Dai Davies

The research by the Royal Society shows that cattle movements are responsible for just 16 per cent of bovine TB outbreaks.

In a report, based on an extensive analysis of breakdowns in 2004, scientists attribute three-quarters of outbreaks to local effects within specific high risk areas. These effects, they conclude, are probably the result of the interaction between cattle and badgers. This includes transmission from wildlife and farm-to-farm spread.

This flatly contradicts repeated claims by the Badger Trust and others that cattle movements are responsible for the majority of bovine TB outbreaks. said Dai Davies.

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Ban on bird-killing pesticide upheld
Seattle Post Intelligencer (Seattlepi.com) – blog.settlepi.nwsource.com
11 Feb 2008
A Schneider
Area: United States

A pesticide manufacturer and members of Congress are pressuring EPA to reverse an 2006 decision to cancel the registration of all uses of the highly toxic pesticide carbofuran, which is sold under the name "Furadan," says the American Bird Conservancy.

Last week, an EPA Scientific Advisory Panel reviewed that decision that the pesticide poses an unreasonable risk to the environment, particularly birds. Carbofuran is one of the most heavily used insecticides in the world, but its extreme toxicity to farm workers and wildlife has made it very dangerous to use, says the Conservancy.

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ProMed - Rabies, human, monkey - Brazil: (Ceara) - Archive Number 20080212.0565
ProMed – www.promedmail.org
12 Feb 2008
Area: Ceara, Brazil

A 14-year-old teenager has died from rabies. The death occurred last Thursday [7 Feb 2008] and is the 1st case reported this year [2008] in Ceara. The Secretary of Health of the state [Ceara] stated that the youth arrived for medical care at the Sao Jose Hospital, which specializes in contagious-infectious diseases, and is located in Fortaleza. He had been bitten by a tamarin (soim - sagui), in his house in the Pedra Branca district in Camocim (West Coast).

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OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS
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