Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Trout Disease: VHS Virus Infects Fish Via Their Gills
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com
15 May 2009
Photo credit: Bjørn Erik Brudeseth

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) is a highly contagious disease of rainbow trout in fresh water, causing great economic loss in the European trout farming industry. In his doctorate, Bjørn Erik Brudeseth presented new findings and methods that explain why some seawater-isolated VHS virus are unable to infect rainbow trout.

The VHS virus is known to occur in wild marine fish. The Baltic Sea, for example, has a high incidence of infected fish, in particular herring.

For his doctorate, Bjørn Brudeseth carried out several marine surveys during the period 1997 - 1999 to study the incidence of VHS virus in marine fish in Norwegian waters, in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Turtle die-off near Town of Menasha park continues
The Northwestern - www.thenorthwestern.com
17 May 2009
E Lowe
Area: Town of Menasha, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, USA - Map It

Town staff last week found and removed several dead turtles from the lagoons near Fritse Park, where more than a dozen others were found dead in recent weeks. Also, another large snapping turtle was found dead Sunday at the site by a Post-Crescent reporter, and another snapper appeared ill and possibly close to death.

The latest reports suggest the die-off of snapping and painted turtles in the shallow stormwater-fed ponds just west of Little Lake Butte des Morts is continuing.

However, the cause of the die-off does not appear to be threatening the health of many other turtles in the same natural area. Several painted turtles and a large snapping turtle appeared active and healthy at the site Sunday afternoon.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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West Nile virus detected in York County
PennLive - www.pennlive.com (Source: The Patriot-News)
18 May 2009
C Courogen
Photo credit: AP Photo/Great Falls Tribune
Area: Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania, USA - Map It

The state's first finding of West Nile Virus in 2009 has been reported. State officials said the mosquito borne virus was detected in a dead American crow found in Springettsbury Township, York County. This is the earliest reported evidence of West Nile in the state since 2003, when the virus was detected in late April of that year, according to the state's West Nile Virus Surveillance Program.

According to a press release issued by the state, the virus, which can result in serious illness, or even death, in humans, has not been detected in any humans yet this year. In 2008 West Nile virus was discovered in 37 counties, with 14 people infected. One death was attributed to the disease last year.

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Tuberculosis Case Identified on Indiana Cervid Farm
Indiana State Board of Animal Health - www.in.gov/boah/
15 May 2009
Area: Indiana, United States

The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) is investigating a case of bovine tuberculosis (commonly called "TB," or more formally known as Mycobacterium bovis) in a farm-raised cervid herd in Southeastern Indiana. "Cervid" is a category of animals that includes elk and various species of deer.

A BOAH veterinarian found the TB infection in a red deer being processed for meat. A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory test confirmed the disease.

The animals in the cervid herd, which include elk, red deer, fallow deer and Sika deer, are part of an on-going targeted surveillance program. The farm sits in close geographic proximity to a beef cattle herd that was traced to a TB-positive cow in December 2008.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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Avian influenza, wild birds
ProMed - www.promedmail.org
18 May 2009
Location: Qinghai province, China - Map It

On 17 May 2009, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture announced that the National Avian influenza Reference Laboratory had confirmed avian influenza among migratory birds in Qinghai province. According to the briefing, the regional veterinary departments in Gahai found dead migratory birds on 8 May 2009. Specimens were collected and sent for testing. On 12 May 2009, the Qinghai Provincial Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center detected weak positive signals for highly pathogenic avian influenza using RT-PCR.

On 17 May 2009, the birds were confirmed to be infected with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory. As of yesterday [17 May 2009], 121 wild birds had died.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: The Telegraph