Wildlife Disease News Digest

TOP STORIES
Nanosilver in consumer products: No silver lining for fish
Environmental Health News - www.environmentalhealthnews.org
17 Nov 2009
G Shetler
Photo credit: S Harper

Smaller than a virus and used in more than 200 consumer products, silver nanoparticles can kill and mutate fish embryos, new research shows.

Tiny particles of silver – potent anti-microbial agents that can kill bacteria on contact – are becoming increasingly popular in consumer goods, including washing machines, refrigerators, clothing and toys.

But as use of these microscopic silver particles grows, some scientists now are raising concerns about potential effects on the environment and human health.

. . . In one new experiment, Furgeson, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, exposed zebrafish embryos to silver nanoparticles in a laboratory, and found that some died and others were left with dramatic mutations.

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Journal Article Cited - abstract only
Toxicity assessments of multisized gold and silver nanoparticles in zebrafish embryos. Small. 17 Aug 2009; 5(16): 1897-1910.

When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak

New York Times - www.nytimes.com
16 Nov 2009
H Fountain
Photo credit: K Moloney/New York Times

Predators do not always play fair. Sometimes they choose their victims based on physical condition, preferring young, old, sick or injured prey.

That is the idea, although surprisingly it has not been tested much. But now researchers have found that one predator does, in fact, show a preference for less-than-fully-capable victims.

The findings may have implications for the spread of chronic wasting disease among deer populations.

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Journal Article Cited

Mountain lions prey selectively on prion-infected mule deer. Biology Letters. Published online 28 Oct 2009.

Other Chronic Wasting Disease News

Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease [Minnesota, USA]

Wildlife managers atuned to disease [Ontario, Canada]

Swine flu virus expanding among different animals species: OIE
The Economic Times - economictimes.indiatimes.com
16 Nov 2009

The H1N1 virus which was limited to pigs and humans is now spreading its tentacles to other animal species, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), responsible for improving animal health worldwide, has said.

"Pandemic H1N1 infections have been reported in turkeys in Chile and Canada and in a few pet animals in the USA," a WHO official said quoting reports sent by OIE.

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Hive and Seek: Where Have the Honeybees Gone?
Scientific American - www.scientificamerican.com
16 Nov 2009
Photo credit: R Hungershausen

. . . What made the problem—dubbed “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD)—so unusual is that most traumas to bee colonies leaves bees dead in or around their hives, not mysteriously gone altogether.

Strangely enough, there was no concrete evidence pointing to disease or predation or of mites that tend to attack bee hives.

Some beekeepers reported that moths, animals and other bees were steering clear of the newly empty nests, leading to speculation that chemical contamination due to widespread use of pesticides might be to blame. But no smoking gun emerged and the mystery remains today.

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: L Travis