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They discovered chytrid fungus in frogs from Panama [translated by Google]
Zero Hour - horacero.com.pa
14 Dec 2009
Area: Cerro Brewster Chagres National Park, Panama - Map It

Project Rescue and Conservation of Amphibians of Panama (PARC), announced that many of the frogs collected and were affected by the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), a disease which has devastated almost 100 species of frogs around the world.

The aim of the first issue of the project was to collect live specimens of frogs that are not contaminated by the chytrid fungus in Panama to reproduce in captivity.

The rescue mission, led by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Roberto Ibanez of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, collected about 20 harlequin frog (Atelopus Limosa) and 20 tree frogs (Hyloscirtus colymba) at Cerro Brewster Chagres National Park in Panama.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Atrazine: As bad for wildlife as it is for weeds?
Environmental Health News - www.environmentalhealthnews.org
14 Dec 2009
H Hamlin

The widely used herbicide atrazine may be responsible for a host of health problems seen in fresh water fish and amphibians, according to researchers who evaluated a group of published studies that examined the chemical's effects.

The weed-killer atrazine – in most cases – does not outright kill fish and amphibians in the wild, but it can routinely causes indirect health effects that can alter important life functions in the two groups.

A new assessment of previous studies finds that some of the effects were permanent and not seen until months after the animals encountered the chemical.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>>A qualitative meta-analysis reveals consistent effects of atrazine on freshwater fish and amphibians. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print].

Koalas in Australia dying from AIDS, habitat loss
CNN - edition.cnn.com
14 Dec 2009
A Coren
Area: Australia - Map It

On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road.

Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the marsupials: Chlamydia, a disease which can lead to a very slow and painful death for koalas living in the wild.

Koalas generate almost US$1 billion for the Australian economy, thanks to tourists who come to see this national icon. But these cuddly creatures are under serious threat from infectious disease and habitat loss and some scientists believe they are facing extinction.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Upcoming Meeting: ISIRV International Symposium on Neglected Influenza Viruses
3-5 February 2010
Amelia Island, Florida, USA

[Excerpt from web site] The International Symposium on Neglected Influenza Viruses will examine a considerable body of swine and equine influenza data and also consider what roles, if any, canine influenza and marine mammal influenza might play in new epidemics and epizootics.

This symposium will explore surveillance data, experimental and observational research data, control strategies and policy, and the economic impact of these viruses of lower mammals that have generally received less surveillance and research efforts. This conference will summarize considerable novel influenza data, not previously presented at human or avian influenza scientific meetings.

>>>MEETING AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION
>>>MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ISIRV

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Photo credit: National Geographic News