Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Big, old mice spread hantavirus
EurekAlert - www.eurekalert.org
06 Jan 2009
Photo credit: Denise Dearing, Unversity of Utah
Area: Utah, United States

University of Utah researchers dusted wild deer mice with fluorescent pink, blue, green, yellow and orange talcum powders to show which rodents most often fought or mated with others and thus were most likely to spread deadly hantavirus. The study identified bigger, older mice as the culprits. "If mice were in contact with a powdered mouse, you'd see the colored bite mark on their ear or tail, or color on their genitals," says Denise Dearing, a University of Utah professor of biology and senior author of the study published online Jan. 7 in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. "You knew when they got lucky," adds Christy Clay, who ran the study as part of her University of Utah Ph.D. thesis under Dearing's supervision.

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Wild birds likely cause of avian flu outbreak
The Standard - www.thestandard.com.hk
06 Jan 2009
N Lau
Area: Hong Kong, China

A recent bird flu outbreak was likely caused by droppings from migrating wild birds rather than from smuggled ones, experts believe. A government-appointed committee has completed its initial investigation into the deaths of 200 chickens in a Yuen Long farm early last month, which led to a cull of 100,000 birds and a 21-day ban on the sale of fresh fowl. The report will be submitted to the Food and Health Bureau this week. According to a source, the report studied several possible factors behind the contamination but concluded there was no evidence linking it to smuggling activities.

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What does it mean to build a better bee?
EarthSky - www.earthsky.org
07 Jan 2009
Photo credit: cygnus921
Area: California, United States

Honey bees in the United States are in decline. What scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder has wiped out about a third of U.S. beehives. EarthSky spoke to bee breeder Susan Cobey of the University of California Davis about building a better bee. Susan Cobey focuses on breeding bees that can recognize pests and disease and remove them from the hive. Cobey said her long term plan is to enhance the honey bee gene pool.

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