Wildlife Disease News Digest

Disease Deadly To Bats Is Discovered In Connecticut
The Day - www.theday.com
29 Mar 2008
J Benson
Area: Connecticut United States

The mysterious disease that's been killing bats by the thousands in New York and other states in the Northeast has turned up in Connecticut, state wildlife officials announced Friday. White-nose syndrome, an illness characterized by the growth of a white fungus on the nose and other areas of affected bats, has been found in a cave in northwestern Connecticut where colonies of little brown bats and northern long-eared bats, two of the most common of the eight species found in the state, hibernate. Wildlife biologists are studying the illness and are not sure whether the fungal growth is the cause or whether it is an opportunistic infection taking advantage of bats weakened by a virus, bacteria or some other cause, said Jenny Dickson, supervising wildlife biologist for the DEP.

It is a “commonly occurring plant fungus,” she said, but one not found on healthy bats. Since there is no evidence that it is transmittable to humans, there currently are no direct human-health implications of white-nose syndrome, said state DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy. But because bats consume large volumes of mosquitoes, moths and other flying insects, the decimation of the bat population could result in an explosion of those insect populations, officials warned. Randall Nelson, state public health veterinarian, said the state's mosquito trapping and testing program will take on added importance this summer because of the bat problem.

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OSU: Parasite common in fish now found in ducks
Statesman Journal - www.statesmanjournal.com (Source: Associated Press)
24 Mar 2008
Area: Oregon United States

A parasite from a group that commonly infests fish has been found for the first time in warm-blooded animals — particularly ducks — sometimes with fatal results. Oregon State University microbiologist Jerri Bartholomew says it is unusual to see a group of parasites develop a new host, and more study is needed to see how big a problem this could become. Myxozoa (MIX-o-ZO-ah) is a group of microscopic parasites that can be found in virtually all fish.

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Cited Journal Article
>>>Myxozoan parasitism in waterfowl
Int J Parasitol. 2008 Feb 14 [Epub ahead of print]

Hope of cure for dying Tassie devils
News.com.au - www.news.com.au
31 Mar 2008
M Denholm
Photo courtesy of gladysclancy2/community.webshots.com
Area: Tasmania Australia

Researchers believe they may be on the verge of a breakthrough in the fight to save the Tasmanian devil from a deadly plague that is threatening the species with extinction. The unlikely would-be saviour of the world's largest marsupial carnivore is an unassuming devil named Cedric. In a development described as "the most exciting" in the five-year quest to halt devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), Cedric has shown an immune response to the unique communicable cancer. He is the first of his species known to do so, and University of Tasmania researchers expect he will remain disease free, despite being exposed to DFTD.

This would mean that devils sharing Cedric's mix of immune-related genes may be resistant to DFTD, or capable of responding to a vaccine. And that would save the endangered species from its march toward extinction, which had appeared unstoppable. DFTD has wiped out an estimated 53 per cent of the species in the past 12 years. "I think this is the most exciting thing that has happened in this program - the devils could be their own saviours," Greg Woods, who is conducting the research for the Save the Tasmanian Devil program, with PhD student Alex Kreiss, said.

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Radar Technology - A Tool for Understanding Migratory “Aerofauna”
USGS - www.fort.usgs.gov
31 Mar 2008
Area: United States

Understanding the factors affecting migratory bird and bat populations during all three phases of their life cycle – breeding, non-breeding, and migration – is critical to species conservation planning. This includes the need for information about these species’ responses to natural challenges, as well as information about the impact of human activities that alter resources critical to migrants during passage and stopovers. Birds and bats are also uniquely susceptible to human use of the airspace. Wind turbines, communication and power transmission towers, and other tall structures known to cause bird and bat mortality are being erected or proposed in increasing numbers across the country. In addition, the potential for bird-aircraft collisions poses human safety threats.

Management and regulatory agencies, conservation organizations, and industry currently lack this information needed to meet their missions and statutory responsibilities. The biological data available from various radar technologies offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the spatiotemporal distribution patterns, flight characteristics, and habitat use of "aerofauna." The nationwide network of over 150 large-scale Doppler weather surveillance radars (otherwise known as NEXRAD or WSR-88D) provides continental coverage, similar to the scale of migration.

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Satellite tracking: Join us as we follow the amazing journeys of the Bar-tailed Godwit
Global Flyway Network - www.globalflywaynetwork.com.au
31 Mar 2008
Photo courtesy of Jan van de Kam/NL

In 2007 scientists and enthusiasts from across the planet were glued to Google Earth as they followed the incredible journeys of 16 Bar-tailed Godwits. The birds were captured at the Miranda Shorebird Centre, Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand, for scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Centre (USGS), PRBO Pacific Shorebird Migration Project (PRBO). The godwits were fitted with small, lightweight devices, Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs), which would transmit signals to orbiting satellites.

The project was a stunning success as scientists were not only able to follow the northern migration of these charismatic sandpipers to Alaska, via their staging areas in the Yellow Sea, they were also able to track them as they returned to New Zealand from Alaska. The first bird home, 'E7' illustrated the trip beautifully, including her record breaking, 9 day non-stop trans-Pacific Ocean flight of about 11,600 kilometres. This confirmed the suggestions of many researchers that these birds were not only capable of such a journey but were routinely undertaking it as they returned from their Alaskan breeding grounds to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia every year. The entire journey covered by the celebrated 'E7' was about 29,000 kilometres (see image above).

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of redOrbit.com