Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Avian botulism confirmed as cause of Laysan duck deaths
KHNL 8 News - www.khnl.com
22 Aug 2008
Area: Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA - Map It
Photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife Service

Health officials have confirmed avian botulism caused of the death of at least 134 Laysan ducks on Midway Atoll in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Officials found the toxin in all eight samples sent for analysis at its facility in Wisconsin. With this finding, managers are taking extra steps to control the outbreak. They are draining the catchment wetland where most of the deaths have occurred to eliminate toxin production.

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Heavy Metal Link To Mutations, Low Growth And Fertility Among Crustaceans In Sydney Harbor Tributary
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: University of New South Wales)
25 Aug 2008
Area: Australia

Heavy metal pollutants are linked to genetic mutations, stunted growth and declining fertility among small crustaceans in the Parramatta River, the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, new research shows. The finding adds to mounting evidence that toxic sediments and seaweeds in Sydney Harbour are a deadly diet for many sea creatures. The new findings, published in the journal, Science of the Total Environment, reveal genetic mutations among crustaceans (Melita plumulosa) in the Parramatta River but none among those in the cleaner Hawkesbury River. Earlier this year, UNSW scientists revealed that copper-contaminated seaweeds in Sydney Harbour were killing 75 percent of the offspring of small crustaceans that feed on a common brown seaweed.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>>Genetic and life-history trait variation of the amphipod Melita plumulosanext term from polluted and unpolluted waterways in eastern Australia. Science of The Total Environment. 2008 Sep 15; 403(1-3): 222-229.

Pregnancy test leaves at-risk frogs holding the baby
The Age - www.theage.com.au
24 Aug 2008
S Cauchi
Area: Victoria, Australia - Map It

One of Victoria's largest frogs is facing extinction from a skin disease that is wiping out frogs the world over - and a 1930s human pregnancy test, of all things, appears the most likely suspect. Environmental researcher Ray Draper said the growling grass frog would be "next on the hit list" of the chytrid fungus infection unless scientists quickly intervened. Mr Draper, who has just returned from a trip surveying 25 frog sites between Ballarat and Warrnambool, said he was "alarmed" by the poor showing of frogs in general and of growling grass frogs in particular. The 10-centimetre "growlers" have been in steep decline since the 1980s, said Mr Draper, and unless something was done soon they could be wiped out.

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Wind Turbines Kill Bats Without Impact
Discovery News - dsc.discovery.com/news
25 Aug 2008
J Marshall
Area: United States

Researchers have found the cause behind mysterious bat deaths near wind turbines, in which many bat carcasses appeared uninjured. The explanation to this puzzle is that the bats' lungs effectively blow up from the rapid pressure drop that occurs as air flows over the turbine blades. "The idea had kind of been floating around, because people had noticed these bats with no injuries," said Erin Baerwald of the University of Calgary and lead author of a study about the finding in the journal Current Biology. Researchers examined a large sample size of hoary and silver-haired bats found under wind turbines, performing necropsies on the bats within hours of their death.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>>Barotrauma is a significant cause of bat fatalities at wind turbines. Current Biology. 2008 Aug 26; 18(16): R695-R696.

Blue Jay tests positive for West Nile Virus
LondonTopic.ca - www.londontopic.ca
22 Aug 2008
Area: London, Ontario, Canada - Map It

A Blue Jay found in London's northwest has tested positive for the West Nile Virus, Middlesex-London Health officials announced Friday (Aug. 22). The bird, found in the area of Riverside Drive and Hyde Park, is the first this year in the London area to test positive for the virus. "Having our first positive bird this late in the summer is a good reminder that we can't let our guard down and highlights the need to keep up our surveillance and prevention programs," said David White, MLHU's Manager of Environmental Health. "We hope the community will continue to advise us when they find dead Crows and Blue jays."

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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Warming may spread coral disease
ScienceAlert - www.sciencealert.com.au (Source: Australian Institute of Marine Science)
25 Aug 2008
Area: Australia

Rising sea surface temperatures are setting the scene for increases in virulent coral diseases that are already wreaking havoc on reefs around the world. According to AIMS scientist Dr David Bourne and his colleagues, global warming and increased sea surface temperatures presented a major challenge to the health of the world’s coral reefs. Warming has caused significant damage to reefs in recent hot years (particularly 1998 and 2002) by sparking coral bleaching, which is a breakdown in the symbiotic relationship between the coral animal and its bacterial partner (zooxanthellae). Bleaching and coral disease seem to go together. While the correlations between the two phenomena are yet to be understood, it is known that the more stress a reef is under the more likely it is to get sick.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image courtesy of Ecoworldly.com