November 26, 2008

TOP STORIES

E. Coli Bacteria Transferring Between Humans And Mountain Gorillas
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: Wiley-Blackwell)
24 Nov 2008
Photo credit: iStockphoto/Wolfgang Moeller

A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as Escherichia Coli, from humans. The study, published in Conservation Biology, examines the exchange of digestive system bacteria between humans, mountain gorillas and domestic animals with overlapping habitats. The findings show the presence of identical, clinically-resistant bacteria, in gorillas, which implies that antibiotic resistant bacteria or resistance-conferring genetic elements are transferring from humans to gorillas. Gorilla populations that are the subject of research and tourism are particularly vulnerable.




Anthrax, wildlife - Zimbabwe: (MW) - Archive Number 20081124.3706
ProMED-mail - www.promedmail.org
21 Nov 2008
Area: Kariba district, Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe - Map It

The Minister of Environment and Tourism Cde Francis Nhema says the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the veterinary services staff have put in place measures to reduce the spread of anthrax which has killed 88 hippos and 18 buffaloes in the Gachegache area of Kariba [district, Mashonaland West province]. In an interview Cde Nhema said the personnel have put in place strict monitoring mechanisms to stop the uncontrolled movement of game in the affected areas. He said the outbreak has been contained to the area.




Mussels Lose Out As Carbon Dioxide Changes Ocean
National Public Radio: Morning Edition - www.npr.org
25 Nov 2008
Photo credit: CA Pfister
Area: Washington, United States

All the carbon dioxide pouring into the atmosphere is making the oceans more acidic — and those effects appear to be striking very close to home. Scientists have been fretting about what ocean acid will do to coral reefs and certain species of plankton. And a new study now documents a startling and rapid change in ocean acid on an island just off the coast of Washington state. Ocean chemistry measured from Tatoosh Island found that the ocean there is becoming acidic 10 times faster than expected, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.




Bald Eagles in Catskills Show Increasing Mercury
New York Times - www.nytimes.com
24 Nov 2008
A DePalma
Photo credit: Lou Bouscher
Area: Catskill Mountains, New York, United States

Less than two years after the bald eagle was removed from the federal government’s endangered species list, an environmental organization in Maine has found an alarming accumulation of mercury in the blood and feathers of bald eagle chicks in the Catskill Park region of New York. The levels are close to those associated with reproductive problems in common loons and bald eagles elsewhere in the Northeast, although the New York and national populations of bald eagles have been growing strongly in recent years. The study is being released Tuesday by the BioDiversity Research Institute, a nonprofit ecological organization in Gorham, Me. The average mercury blood level in chicks within the parks’ boundaries was 0.64 parts per million.




Light pollution offers new global measure of coral reef health
EurekAlert - www.eurekalert.org (University of Southern California)
24 Nov 2008

We've all seen the satellite images of Earth at night--the bright blobs and shining webs that tell the story of humanity's endless sprawl. These pictures are no longer just symbols of human impact, however, but can be used to objectively measure it, according to a study in the December 2008 issue of Geocarto International, a peer-reviewed journal on geoscience and remote sensing. Travis Longcore, a USC geographer and expert in light pollution, collaborated with an international team, led by Christoph Aubrecht of the Austrian Research Centers, to develop the index. "Coral reefs are incredibly important—but unfortunately they're also incredibly fragile," Longcore said.


Related News
>>>Reef guide to benefit research [Great Barrier Reef]



OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH NEWS
Photo credit: UPI.com



WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Genetic evidence of intercontinental movement of avian influenza in a migratory bird: the northern pintail (Anas acuta)
Molecular Ecology. 2008 Nov; 17(21): 4754-4762 [online abstract only]
AV Koehler et al.

Ecology Applications - Oct 2008
Vol 18, Issue 7

Articles of note
  • Mycobacteriosis - Associated Mortality in Wildl Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) from Chesapeake Bay, USA
  • An Unforeseen Chain of Events: Lethal Effects of Pesticides on Frogs at Sublethal Concentrations
  • Understanding the Net Effects of Pesticides on Amphibian Trematode Infections

Genetic structure along an elevational gradient in Hawaiian honeycreepers reveals contrasting evolutionary responses to avian malaria
BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2008;8: 315 [free full-text available]
LS Eggert et al.

Building Bridges: Connecting the Health and Conservation Professions
[From introduction: "In this commentary, we present a historical view of disease within tropical conservation efforts, current impacts of diseases on conservation initiatives, and, using our partnership as an example, provide a solid agenda for building bridges between the health and conservation professions so that we can more effectively perform tropical conservation"]
Biotropia. 2008 Nov; 40(6): 662 - 665 [NO on-line abstract available]
SL Deem et al.

at Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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