In the Spotlight – Student Award Opportunities through WDA

Student Award Opportunities Wildlife Disease Association Annual Meeting
30 May – 4 June 2010
Puerto Iguazú, Argentina




Each year the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) sponsors student award competitions. At the 2010 WDA meeting, students are encouraged to compete for four awards:

• Awards for graduate research (a stipend, maximum of $5,000 US, for the WDA meeting)
• Best student presentation ($250 and a plaque)
• Best student poster ($250 and a plaque)
• One academic scholarship ($2,000 US)

The WDA meeting is to be held May 31 to June 4, 2010, at Iguazú, Argentina. WDA invites interested students, with relevant research topics, to apply for the various awards.



Application Details

• Applications for all four awards are due March 5, 2010.
• Applicants for all awards must be student members of the WDA at the time applications or abstracts are received. Information about WDA student membership can be found at: http://www.wildlifedisease.org/membership.htm.
• Applicants for the Graduate Student Research Recognition and Graduate Student Scholarship Awards must be pursuing an advanced (graduate) degree at the time of application.
• Applications for the graduate research recognition award and the student scholarship must be submitted as an e-mail attachment to Dr. Kevin Keel at mkkeel@uga.edu by 5:00 PM EST of the date due.
• Abstracts submitted for student presentations and student posters must also be submitted to the scientific program chair for the annual conference.
• Instructions for abstract submissions can be found on the conference website (http://sites.google.com/site/wda2010argentina).

Additional information concerning application requirements and judging criteria are available on the WDA website at, http://www.wildlifedisease.org/Student_Awards.htm and in this pdf document.


What Essential Resource Should Every Wildlife Professional Know About?

Know of a invaluable resource (e.g. manual, website, online database) that every wildlife professional should be aware of? Send the title and a link (if available) of this indispensable resource to us at wdin@usgs.gov and we will share it with your colleagues on the Digest. In a less-than-two-minute email you can pass on your knowledge and help a fellow wildlife professional.

TOP STORIES

Deadly fish virus now found in all Great Lakes

A deadly fish virus that was first discovered in the Northeast in 2005 has been found for the first time in fish from Lake Superior, report Cornell researchers.

That means that the virus has now been documented in all of the Great Lakes.

. . . While no significant fish mortality due to VHSV was observed in 2008 and 2009, "It is important to note that there are still fish harboring VHSV; essentially the infection proceeds even though no mortalities are being observed," said Bowser.

Cornell Chronicle Online - www.news.cornell.edu
27 January 2010
Photo courtesy of Cornell Chronicle

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Oregon pelicans face starvation

California brown pelicans now stranded along the Oregon Coast are starving by the hundreds and begging for food instead of migrating south in what is seen as a rare and somewhat macabre phenomenon.

Dead birds in full mating plumage have washed ashore in Oregon, while hundreds of others are congregating in places such as the boat basins in Brookings, Bandon and Port Orford.

The normally skittish pelicans have been begging for food from people, walking up to cars for handouts and even landing on recreational boats to peck at crab-pot baits, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "That's a behavior we've never seen before in Oregon," says Roy Lowe, manager of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex based in Newport. "They're in sad shape."

Mail Tribune - www.mailtribune.com
27 January 2010
M Freeman
Photo courtesy of Mail Tribune
Location: Oregon, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Pneumonia Confirmed In Lower Rock Creek Bighorn Sheep

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) announced today that a pneumonia outbreak is underway in another bighorn sheep population in west-central Montana.

The latest occurrence of the nearly always-fatal respiratory disease was confirmed in two young rams that FWP’s wildlife veterinarian and biologists collected Tuesday afternoon from the Lower Rock Creek population.

Other recent pneumonia outbreaks affected bighorn populations in the East Fork Bitterroot late last year and in the Bonner area earlier this month.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks - fwp.mt.gov/news
26 January 2010
Location: Montana, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
The story that appeared in the Digest earlier this week, Salt Plains refuge personnel to scare off sandhill cranes with propane cannons, was a story from January 2009. Please excuse the confusion.

Photo credit: A Sheppard, C Sheppard/Chagos Conservation Trust

• Workers clean up Texas oil spill, and wildlife [Port Arthur, Texas, USA]
• Beached beaked whale dies in Florida [Brevard County, Florida, USA - Map It ]
• Officials fear another whooping crane die-off
• Arizona Intentionally Snared Last Jaguar, Inquiry Finds
• Wildlife of the Chagos islands [image gallery]
• Understanding human threats to the Earth's largest habitat -- the deep sea [includes video; cited journal article]

Poaching

• 'Thrill killing' poachers pose threat to wildlife
• Bald eagle shot at Vernon Lake, La.

It Ain't All Bad News

• Md. Wind Farm Developer to Forgo 24 Turbines

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Bat Echolocation: 3-D Imaging Differentiates How Various Bats Generate Biosonar Signals [cited journal article]
• In Bats and Whales, Convergence in Echolocation Ability Runs Deep [first cited article; second cited article]
• All things bright and beautiful: what photographer found in one cubic foot [cited article includes image gallery and video]

TOP STORIES

AVMA Supports Proposal Calling For More Wildlife and Zoo Veterinarians

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today announced its support of newly-introduced federal legislation that will help bolster the nation's supply of veterinarians specializing in the care of wildlife and zoo animals.

The Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Medicine Enhancement Act, introduced January 21 by U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., will fill a critical need in protecting the country's animals, environment and its people.

. . . The legislation also has the support of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, the American Association of Zoological Veterinarians, the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians and the National Association of Federal Veterinarians.

Each of the supporting groups cites a lack of wildlife veterinary positions with state, tribal, and federal wildlife resource agencies, as well as in research positions at universities and nongovernmental organizations, as a primary reason the legislation is needed.

AVMA News - www.avma.org/press
25 January 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Link to Legislation
>>> Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Medicine Enhancement Act of 2010

FWC records unprecedented number of cold-related manatee deaths

The cold period that began Jan. 2 and lasted nearly two weeks continues to impact Florida manatees.

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute documented more than 100 manatee carcasses in state waters from the beginning of the year through Jan. 23. Biologists report that the preliminary cause of death for 77 of these animals is cold stress.

Although pending final review, the number of cold-stress deaths exceeds the previous record of 56 for that category in a single year, which was set in 2009.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - myfwc.com/newsroom
26 January 2010
Location: Florida, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More Extreme Weather News
>>> Pelicans found dead during cold snap suffered in final days [Dauphin Island, Alabama USA - Map It ]
>>> Dolphin washes up on Cabrillo Beach [Cabrillo Beach, California, USA - Map It ]

G&F sends four elk to slaughter

Four elk captured over the weekend and tested for brucellosis had positive test results and were sent to slaughter Monday morning, according to Wyoming Game and Fish Department public information specialist Mark Gocke.

The four elk were part of a herd of 82 adult female elk subject to blood sampling over the weekend by Game and Fish personnel.

. . . The test-and-removal program is now in its fifth and final year and aims to reduce the brucellosis seroprevalance rate in the Pinedale elk herd unit.

Casper Star-Tribune - www.trib.com
26 January 2010
C Urbigkit
Photo credit: C Urbigkit/Star-Tribune
Location: Boulder, Wyoming, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Updated

USGS and a network of partners across the country work on documenting wildlife mortality events in order to provide timely and accurate information on locations, species and causes of death. This information was updated on January 26, 2010 on the USGS National Wildlife Health Center web page, New and Ongoing Wildlife Mortality Events Nationwide. Quarterly Mortality Reports are also available from this page. These reports go back to 1995.

USGS National Wildlife Health Center
26 January 2010
Area: United States

>>> Updated Wildlife Mortality Event Table

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of WWF

• Pneumonia outbreak widens; FWP will kill 95 sheep in West Riverside herd [West Riverside, Montana, USA - Map It ]
• Climate Change Threatens to Wipe Out One of World's Largest Tiger Populations this Century [includes video; cited journal article]
• Tests after whale's death on Northumberland coast [Northumberland, England - Map It ]
• Scientists struggle to understand plague that kills insect-eating bats
• California Endangered Species Act Protection Sought to Save Mountain Yellow-legged Frog From Exotic Trout, Habitat Destruction, and Disease
• Parasite Spreading Between Animals, Zookeepers
• Improving Access to Research

Wildlife Conservation

• In pictures: Armadillo sniffer dogs of Brazil [image gallery]
• China puts on Oscar-style ceremony to celebrate heroes of wildlife conservation
• Gardeners Must Unite to Save Britain's Wildlife, Experts Urge [cited journal article]
  

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Cool Video: Dolphin Hunting Trick
• When Built-In Antifreeze Beats a Winter Coat
• Swan Divorce Shocks British Bird Experts

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

An Aquatic Disease on a Terrestrial Salamander: Individual and Population Level Effects of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, on Batrachoseps attenuatus (Plethodontidae)
Copeia. 2009 Dec; 2009 (4): 653-660
SB Weinstein

Oceanography - Dec 2009
Special Issue: Future of Ocean Biogeochemistry in a High-CO2 World [Ocean Acidification]
Volume 22, Number 4

Emergence of canine distemper in Bavarian wildlife associated with a specific amino acid exchange in the haemagglutinin protein
Vet J. 2010 Jan 19. [Epub ahead of print]
K Sekulin et al.

Evaluation of Selective Culling of Infected Individuals to Control Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease
Conserv Biol. 2010 Jan 19. [Epub ahead of print]
S Lachish et al.

Scientific and Technical Review - 2009
Veterinary education for global animal and public health
Volume 28, Issue 2
Sample of articles

• One World – One Medicine – One Health: emerging veterinary challenges and opportunities
• Essential veterinary education in fish health and disease: a global perspective
• Essential veterinary education in the virology of domestic animals, wild animals and birds: diagnosis and pathogenesis of viral infections

TOP STORIES

Impact of nature's invading aliens measured for the first time

Invasive Alien Species, ranging from disease and plants, to rats and goats, are one of the top three threats to life on this planet, according to a new publication coordinated by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), of which BirdLife International is a partner.

...The paper entitled, Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses, published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, looked at 57 countries and found that, on average, there are 50 non-indigenous species per country which have a negative impact on biodiversity. The number of invasive alien species ranged from nine in Equatorial Guinea to 222 in New Zealand.

BirdLife International - www.birdlife.org
25 Jan 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Article Cited

Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses. 2010; 16(1): 95 - 108

More Invasive Species New

>>> Biologists fill Mobile lake with starfish, hope they'll reduce invasive snail population
>>> Legal Battle Over Asian Carp in the Great Lakes Heats Up
>>> New Support for the Fight Against Invasive Mussels

Recent Cold Wave Prompts Major Sea Turtle Rescue at Canaveral National Seashore

The weather has created plenty of problems all across the country in recent weeks, and the frigid temperatures in Florida affected more than the citrus crop. Thousands of sea turtles were rescued from the unusually cold water, many of them at Canaveral National Seashore.

Five species of sea turtles occur in the waters of Canaveral National Seashore, and all are federally classified as threatened or endangered. Mosquito Lagoon in the park is a major nursery area for juvenile green and loggerhead sea turtles, but the unusually cold temperatures earlier this month created major problems for the animals—and a big challenge for employees and volunteers from a host of agencies and organizations.

National Parks Traveler - www.nationalparkstraveler.com
25 Jan 2010
J Burnett

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Other Related News

>>> Deaths reveal booming sea turtle population: Big recovery evident in losses during freeze

>>> Rain Eases but Storm-Battered Pelicans Still Pouring into California Bird Centers

Crews try to protect wildlife from Texas spill

Crews worked Sunday to protect two sensitive wildlife areas after a large crude oil spill shut down parts of a major southeast Texas port, state Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said about 462,000 gallons - or 11,000 barrels - of oil spilled into the water Saturday when an 800-foot tanker collided with a harbor vessel pushing two barges near Port Arthur, about 90 miles east of Houston.

The tide lifted the two ships, and they separated early Sunday without more oil being spilled, Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm said. The crew of the damaged tanker, the Eagle Atome, said the remaining 69,000 of the 80,000 barrels of oil in the ship were pumped out.

SFGate - www.sfgate.com (source: Associated Press)
25 Jan 2010
Location: Texas, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More deer test positive for CWD

West Virginia wildlife officials say they're "not pleased, but not surprised" to learn that 16 additional Hampshire County deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

...The 16 CWD-positive results were the most discovered in a single batch since sampling began in 2005. Overall, 2 1/2 times as many infected deer turned up in 2009 than were discovered in 2008. Paul Johansen, the DNR's assistant wildlife chief, called the findings "unwelcome." "It's definitely something we didn't want to see," he said.

Charleston Gazette - sundaygazettemail.com
23 Jan 2010
J McCoy

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Other Chronic Wasting Disease News

>>> Va.'s first Chronic Wasting Disease case puts hunters on edge

>>>Ohio's deer herd dodged chronic wasting disease

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH NEWS

• Living the High Life Is Risky Business for Toads Under Threat from Fungus
• The National Geographic archives: Coral reefs [combination of freak weather events have reduced the living ecosystem of the second largest reef habitat in the world by 40%][video 3 min 46 sec]
• ProMed: Pneumonia, ovine - bighorn sheep [reader comment]
• Wildlife: White Nose Syndrome taking a toll on Pa. bats
• Weekend operation kicks off final year of test-and-slaughter pilot project: Crew captures feedground elk [brucellosis]

It Ain't All Bad News

• Danville crows number in the thousands [West Nile virus]
• Rare warbler found in Afghanistan
• Planes Train Endangered Cranes To Migrate [includes audio broadcast]
• Ultralight-led Whooping Cranes Arrive at Final Wintering Destination in Florida

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine - Dec 2009
Volume 40, Issue 4

Great Britain Wildlife Surveillance Partnership quarterly reports - July - September 2009
Volume 11.2

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation - January 2010
Volume 22, Number 1

TOP STORIES

CDC reorganization creating emerging and zoonotic disease center

A new division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to improve resource allocation, scientific collaboration, and partnership in addressing emerging and zoonotic diseases, a spokesman said.

The CDC planned at press time to begin operations of the proposed National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in January, but agency spokesman David Daigle said in a message that it could be longer until the change becomes official.

The new division includes parts of the National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne, and Enteric Diseases and the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases.

JAVMA News - www.avma.org/onlnews
1 February 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Dozens of disoriented pelicans recovering from storm's effects

A few dozen very wet, skinny California brown pelicans huddled by heaters at the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro on Thursday.

Near casualties of the series of powerful storms over the past three days, the birds were rescued and are being rehabilitated in balmy rooms with high-protein diets.

"These birds are really contaminated," rehabilitation manager Julie Skoglund said. "That means that there's something on them that makes them not waterproof. They need to be washed and waterproofed."

Daily Breeze - www.dailybreeze.com
21 January 2010
S Mazza Photo credit: B Graverson/Daily Breeze
Location: Los Angeles County, California, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related Extreme Weather News

>>> Cold killed record number of sea turtles [Florida, USA - Map It ]

Discovery of Algae's Toxic Hunting Habits Could Help Curb Fish Kills

A microbe commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways emits a poison not just to protect itself but to stun and immobilize the prey it plans to eat, a team of researchers from four universities has discovered.

The findings about algae linked to massive fish kills could lead to new ways to slow the growth of these tiny but toxic marine creatures.

. . . "This new research opens the door to reducing bloom frequency and intensity by reducing the availability of its prey," said Allen Place of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Science Daily - www.sciencedaily.com
21 January 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Journal Article Cited

>>> A dinoflagellate exploits toxins to immobilize prey prior to ingestion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Available online 19 January 2010.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in White-tailed Deer in Virginia

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) received laboratory confirmation on January 19, 2010, that a white-tailed deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). This is the first confirmed case of CWD in Virginia.

The deer was killed by a hunter in Frederick County less than one mile from the West Virginia line.

With this case, Virginia now joins 17 other states and Canadian provinces with CWD, five of which are east of the Mississippi River.

Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries - www.dgif.virginia.gov/news
20 January 2010
Photo courtesy of the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries
Location: Frederick County, Virginia, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Thames eel populations crash by 98% in five years, scientists warn

Eel populations in the river Thames have crashed by 98% in just five years, scientists warned today.

. . . Each year, ZSL's Tidal Thames Conservation Project places eel traps in a number of the river's tributaries, to catch the fish and allow scientists to record numbers before setting them free.

While 1,500 were captured in the traps in 2005, just 50 were recorded last year.

The Guardian - www.guardian.co.uk
21 January 2010
Photo credit: Corbis/Visuals Unlimited

>>> FULL ARTICLE

TOP READ LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

NEWS

1. Find WDIN on Facebook and Twitter!
2. Ultralight-led whooping cranes arrive in Florida
3. Polar Bear Droppings Advance Superbug Debate
4. Europe's Bats Resist Fungal Scourge of North America [summary only]
5. Malignant malaria found in apes
6. Scientists discover avian influenza outbreak closely related to bird migration
7. Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (APEIR) The 5th APEIR Regional Meeting
8. White Nose Syndrome: Bat population may never recover
9. To the Bat Cave: Researchers Reconstruct Evolution of Bat Migration With Aid of Mathematical Model
10. The Grid: A New Way of Doing Science

PUBLICATIONS

1. Florida Sea Turtle Cold-Stunning – News Update Report from NOAA/NMFS
2. Humans, Animals—It's One Health. Or Is It?
3. Avian Diseases - December 2009 Issue [TOC]

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: I Kato/Reuters

• The week in wildlife [image gallery]
• British wildlife photography awards 2009 [image gallery]
• Whale common in tropical waters turns up dead in Puget Sound [Olympia, Washington, USA - Map It ]
• Debate swirls over health of Illinois' bald eagle population
• Australia's Tasmanian devil declared endangered
• Video of Virus in Action Shows Viruses Can Spread Faster Than Thought Possible [cited journal article; link to podcast interview with lead author]
• Invasive species threat growing globally, experts warn [cited journal article]

White-Nose Syndrome

• Emergency Petitions Filed to Close Caves and Save Bats From Extinction
• Fungus that targets bats 'very scary'

Huh, That's Interesting!

• In Death Throes, Fish Help Offspring Escape [cited journal article]
• Big Plant-Eating Birds That Dwell With Others on Islands Live Longest [cited journal article]
• Sexy sparrow exposed as world's most promiscuous bird

In the Spotlight - 14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) 2010

14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) 2010

Miami, Florida, USA
March 9-12, 2010

The 14th ICID will provide a scientific program that runs the spectrum from cutting edge science to state-of the-art practices to global infectious disease control, all presented by a truly international faculty and attended by participants whose diverse backgrounds create an incomparable opportunity for the worldwide exchange of information for the benefit of our patients and societies.

Plenary lectures by world leaders in infectious disease and microbiologic research, clinical practice and health policy will be complemented by symposia organized, moderated and presented by experts in their respective fields, interactive meet-the-professor sessions headed by engaging faculty and daily oral and poster presentations based on submitted abstracts. For more information about this upcoming meeting, visit http://www.isid.org/14th_icid

>>> TO MEETING HOME PAGE

Learn about Other Upcoming Meetings and Conferences Using the WDIN Event Calendar

If you are interested in staying current on upcoming wildlife disease related meetings, visit the Wildlife Disease Information Node searchable Event Calendar. The calendar can be browsed month-by-month or searched for specific meetings. Click on a meeting title and get information directly from the conference web site.

Is an Important Meeting Missing?

If you notice our calendar is missing an important meeting, please email us the meeting url at wdin@usgs.gov.

>>> TO CALENDAR

TOP STORIES

Birds rescued after Manchester Ship Canal oil spill

RSPCA officers are attempting to catch geese and ducks covered in oil after a spill on the Manchester Ship Canal.

About 12 birds have been covered in the substance and will not survive unless they are cleaned up, the charity said.

An Environment Agency investigation is under way into the source of the spill at an industrial site near Eccles, which was reported on Tuesday.

BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
20 January 2010
Photo courtesy of BBC News
Location: Eccles, England, United Kingdom - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Cold snap killing fish at alarming rate

Waters all around Florida are about to get very stinky the next few days as hundreds of thousands of fish killed by the recent and extended cold weather begin to decompose and float to the surface.

From the Panhandle to the Keys, from the Gold Coast north to the First Coast, anglers and fisheries scientists venturing out into chilly bays, estuaries, rivers, canals, and even the open ocean, are finding dead and stunned fish in a wide range of sizes and species — freshwater and saltwater. And this is just the beginning, experts say.

. . . "The magnitude of this is unbelievable. It’s really dismal and sad to see."

The Miami Herald - www.miamibostonherald.com
20 January 2010
S Cocking
Photo credit: AP
Location: Florida, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Bee decline linked to falling biodiversity

The decline of honeybees seen in many countries may be caused by reduced plant diversity, research suggests.

Bees fed pollen from a range of plants showed signs of having a healthier immune system than those eating pollen from a single type, scientists found.

Writing in the journal Biology Letters, the French team says that bees need a fully functional immune system in order to sterilise food for the colony.

BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
20 January 2010
R Black
Photo courtesy of BBC News

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Master's project examines how government incentives are driving corn ethanol expansion, impacting wildlife

A University of Michigan study released today shows how government incentives for corn ethanol are driving farmers to shift land into corn production, resulting in significant decreases in grassland bird populations throughout the fragile Prairie Pothole Region.

. . . When researchers analyzed the relationship between corn plantings and grassland bird populations, the results showed that counties with high increases in corn plantings had significant declines of nearly 30 percent in populations of sensitive grassland birds between 2005 and 2008.

"Grassland birds were already in steep decline, making this additional habitat loss quite alarming," says Gary Botzek, executive director at the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment - www.snre.umich.edu/newsroom
13 January 2010
Photo courtesy of University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment

>>> FULL ARTICLE

>>> Link to Full Report [.pdf format]

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS

• Dozens Of Migratory Birds Shot, Dumped Near Texas Lake
• Rabid Raccoons Continue to Invade Central Park, Eight More Found in Two Weeks [includes video, 2:07; New York, New York, USA - Map It ]
• Wyo. begins final year of pilot elk testing effort
• Black bream wired for salinity research

Threatened Wildlife Habitat

• Suit Will Be Filed to Protect 83 Corals Threatened by Global Warming, Ocean Acidification
• Study: Rising Seas Threaten Bangladesh Tigers [cited journal article]
• Report says drilling threatens Colo. wildlife
• Carp DNA Is Found in Lake Michigan

New Species Discoveries
Photo credit: P Hamilton/RAEI

• Glass frog and snail-sucking snake discovered in Ecuador [image gallery here]
• New bird species found in rainforests of Borneo [cited journal article]
• Desert Spider Discovery on Jordan-Israel Border

It Ain't All Bad News

• Whooping cranes complete migration to Chassahowitzka

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.



Veterinary Pathology - January Issue
Vol 47, Issue 1

Journal of Wildlife Management - January 2010
Vol 74, Issue 1

CCWHC - Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter - Winter 2009
Vol 14, Number 2 [free full-text pdf available]

Increased risk of chronic wasting disease in Rocky Mountain elk associated with decreased magnesium and increased manganese in brain tissue
Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 2010; [Epub ahead of print]
SN White et al.

Bighorn sheep fetal lung cell line for detection of respiratory viruses
Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 2010; [Epub ahead of print]
S Shanthalingam et al.

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms - December 2009
Vol 88, Number 1

TOP STORIES

Malignant malaria found in apes

The parasite which causes malignant malaria in humans has been identified in gorillas for the first time. Researchers analysed faeces from wild gorillas in Cameroon and blood samples from a captive animal from Gabon.

The study says increasing contact between humans and primates due to logging and deforestation raises the risk of transmission of new pathogens.

. . . DNA evidence of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malignant malaria in humans, was found in faecal samples from two gorilla subspecies, the highly endangered cross-river gorilla and the western lowland gorilla.

BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
18 Jan 2010
D Walton

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Scientists discover avian influenza outbreak closely related to bird migration

A research jointly conducted by Chinese and Asian scientists has discovered that highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak was closely related to bird migration.

The discovery was revealed at the fifth regional meeting of the Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (APEIR),which concluded on Saturday in Kunming, capital of southwest Yunnan Province.

Lei Fumin, researcher of Institute of Zoology with Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua that the research team had studied avian influenza outbreaks along the bird migration routes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

China View - www.chinaview.cn
16 January 2010
Y Hao

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Original Press Release

>>> Asian Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (APEIR) The 5th APEIR Regional Meeting [see first "Key Outcome" for avian influenza in migratory birds]

What's killing the ducks of Hedgeley Dene?

. . . An investigation into the picturesque Glen Iris locale is under way at the Department of Primary Industries, after a large number of bird deaths in recent days.

At least 18 ducks have now died in the lake, and the small number remaining were far from a picture of health when The Age visited yesterday.

. . . Amid fears of an outbreak of botulism, Stonnington Council said the cause of the deaths would remain a mystery until tests came back from the department.

The Age - www.theage.com.au
20 January 2010
P Ker
Photo credit: M Clayton-Jones
Location: Melbourne, Australia - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Sixteen New CWD Cases Found in Hampshire County

The slow growth and spread of chronic wasting disease continues in West Virginia. DNR Biologists report 16 deer killed by hunters in the 2009 deer season tested positive for the presence of CWD.

The DNR pulled those positives from 1,091 deer killed by hunters in Hampshire at local checking stations during the season.

"It's not the greatest news and certainly wasn't the Christmas present I was hoping to open, but you know when you're dealing with CWD and lots of unknowns associated with it, having a result with 16 positives was not necessarily unexpected at all," said Paul Johansen, Chief of the DNR's Game Management on West Virginia Outdoors.

MetroNews - www.wvmetronews.com
16 January 2010
C Lawrence
Location: West Virginia, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS

• 5 more bighorns killed in effort to stop pneumonia outbreak [West Riverside, Montana, USA - Map It ]
  
• Reporter's Notebook: Game Commission asking for public's help with bat disease
• Black bream wired for salinity research
  

Biodiversity Conservation

• Biodiversity crucial to lives of billions, says UNEP
• Biodiversity nears 'point of no return'
• Sacred Sites Act as Wildlife Sanctuaries
• RSPB takes rare insects under its wing [breeding and reintroduction plan]
  
• Saving Gorillas, Elephants Starts With Understanding Their Human Neighbors
• Wilder Weather Exerts a Stronger Influence on Biodiversity Than Steadily Changing Conditions

Huh, That's Interesting!
Photo credit: iStockphoto

• Extreme Migrations Spell Safety For Arctic Shorebirds [includes audio; cited journal article]
• Variety slows fish learning

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Human, Animal, Ecosystem Health All Key to Curbing Emerging Infectious Diseases
JAMA. 2010;303(2):117-124
BM Kuehn

Humans, Animals—It's One Health. Or Is It?
Science. 15 Jan 2010; 327(5963): 266 - 267
M Enserink

Explaining Bird Migration
Science 15 Jan 2010; 327(5963): 276 - 277
O Gilg1 and NG Yoccoz3

Genetic susceptibility to chronic wasting disease in free-ranging white-tailed deer: complement component C1q and Prnp polymorphisms
Infect Genet Evol. 2009 Dec;9(6):1329-35. Epub 2009 Aug 31
JA Blanchong et al.

Investigation of factors predicting disease among zoo birds exposed to avian mycobacteriosis
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