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E. coli found in creek where fish died
High concentrations of E. coli bacteria have been found in Hog Creek in southern Leavenworth County, state health officials said Thursday.
The state issued a health advisory Wednesday because several fish died, but it was unclear then what caused the problem.
The advisory applies to the area between 158th Street and Kansas Avenue and 171st Street and Parallel Road.
Precipitation, predators may be key in ecological regulation of infectious disease
A little information can go a surprisingly long way when it comes to understanding rodent-borne infectious disease, as shown by a new study led by John Orrock from UW-Madison.
Mouse populations on California’s Channel Islands, including San Miguel island shown here, harbor high levels of a highly virulent hantavirus called Sin Nombre Virus that can be transmitted to humans. A new study by John Orrock at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues shows that the prevalence of Sin Nombre in island rodent populations may be correlated with precipitation, island size and shape, and the diversity of predators.
The researchers studied wild deer mouse populations on the Channel Islands off the southern coast of California, which carry a variant of hantavirus called Sin Nombre virus. In their study appearing in the May issue of the journal American Naturalist, they show that just three ecological factors — rainfall, predator diversity, and island size and shape — can account for nearly all of the differences in infection rates among the eight islands.
The study also provides some of the first evidence to support a recent hypothesis that predators play an important ecological role in regulating disease — sometimes known as the "predators are good for your health" hypothesis.
UW-Madison - news.wisc.edu
14 Apr 2011
J Sakai
14 Apr 2011
J Sakai
Cited Journal Article
JL Orrock, BF Allan. Sin Nombre Virus Infection in Deer Mice, Channel Islands, California. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2008 Dec; 14(12).
JL Orrock, BF Allan. Sin Nombre Virus Infection in Deer Mice, Channel Islands, California. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2008 Dec; 14(12).
Bats at Fantastic Caverns not affected by White Nose disease
Fantastic Caverns in Springfield has announced that its bat population has not been impacted by White Nose Syndrome disease.
White Nose Syndrome disease is plaguing bats throughout the east and northeast United States, but no cases have emerged from any caves, mines or bat colonies in the Springfield area, the release said. WNS attacks the bats during the months of November through March, when bats hibernate and are inactive.
At Fantastic Caverns, management has been actively monitoring the cave which is home to a small population of eastern pipistrelle bats, according to the release. Daily inspections are conducted, seeking any evidence of sick, dying or dead bats.
News-Leader - www.news-leader.com
15 Apr 2011
Location: Springfield, Missouri, USA
15 Apr 2011
Location: Springfield, Missouri, USA
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of The Guardian - Week in Wildlife
Avian influenza: South Africa, Ostriches, HPAI H5N2 [South Africa, Africa - Map It 
]- Acidic ocean robs coral of vital building material
