TOP STORIES

Diversity Of Birds Buffer Against West Nile Virus
Science Daily - sciencedaily.com
20 Feb 2009
Photo Credit: R Leche

North American scientists studying West Nile virus have shown that more diverse bird populations can help to buffer people against infection. Since the virus first spread to North America it has reached epidemic proportions and claimed over 1,100 human lives. “This is an important example of the links between biodiversity and human health”, commented Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's Global Research and Indicators Coordinator.

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Lead Bullets [Video]
Yahoo News - yahoo.com
20 Feb 2009

New research shows how fragments of lead rifle bullets are poisoning eagles, bears and other wildlife that scavenge carcasses left by hunters.

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Fungal disease found on NH bats
My Fox Boston - myfoxboston.com
22 Feb 2009
Photo Credit: H Dekker
Area: New Hampshire, USA - Map It

A lethal disease that has decimated bat populations in other states has reached New Hampshire. A team of biologists has found evidence of White Nose Syndrome on hibernating bats in Grafton County. A Franklin Pierce University biologist and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official were in a cave in Lyman this month when they found two bats covered in the white fungus that characterizes the syndrome.

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Related Articles
>>>Survey shows more WVa caves clear of bat disease
>>>Bat disease spread feared inevitable in W.Va.
>>> Deadly fungus confirmed in West Virginia bats [West Virginia, USA - Map It]

Ingested fungus blamed in death of 7 waterfowl [Aspergillosis]
New Haven Register - www.nhregister.com
24 Feb 2009
A DeMatteo
Location: Cheshire, Connecticut, USA - Map It

It wasn’t the water that was foul, but something the waterfowl ate. A state wildlife expert Monday said seven Canada geese that lived in a pond in Elim Park ingested a fungus called aspergillosis.

Greg Chasko, assistant director of the Wildlife Division, Bureau of Natural Resources, state Department of Environmental Protection, said Monday that the pond water was not the cause of the Feb. 7 death of the seven geese.

“There were no detectable levels of toxins to cause the mortality of waterfowl,” Chasko said.

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Other Fungal Disease Related News

Is airborne fungus a danger to pets or animals? [Cryptococcus gatti][Oregon, USA - Map It]

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS

• Bushmeat, an African delicacy, facing NY crackdown
• Great Lakes scourge infects West [invasive species]
• Inbreeding blamed for 59 lion deaths in Himachal [India]
• Polar bear welcomed into Buffalo Zoo
• Nepal starts killing of poultry in bird flu-affected area
• New Method To Eliminate Ibuprofen From Polluted Waters Using Ultrasound

WILDLIFE DISEASE PUBLICATIONS

Effects of influenza A virus infection on migrating mallard ducks
Proc Biol Sci. 2009 Mar 22;276(1659):1029-36 [online abstract only]
N Latorre-Margalef et al .

Disease-specific motifs can be identified in circulating nucleic acids from live elk and cattle infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
Nucleic Acids Res. 2009 Feb;37(2):550-6. Epub 2008 Dec 5 [free full-text
avaialble]
PMK Gordon et al.

Epidemiology of an avian malaria outbreak in a native bird species (Mohoua ochrocephala) in New Zealand
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 2008 Dec; 38(4): 237–242
JGB Derraik et al.

Surveillance of vector-borne diseases in Germany: trends and challenges in the view of disease emergence and climate change
Parasitology Research. 2008 Nov 23; [Epub ahead of print]
A Jansen et al.

Structural and functional bases for broad-spectrum neutralization of avian and human influenza A viruses
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 2009 Feb 22; [Epub ahead of print] [online abstract only]
J Sui et al.