Wildlife Disease News Digest

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USF study concludes that common fungicide is deadly to frogs

Two years ago some University of South Florida researchers began studying the effects of the most widely used fungicide in the country to see if it might kill more than just fungus.

Turns out it's also a pretty effective frog-icide.

"We were completely surprised to see it basically killed everything," said Taegan McMahon, the lead researcher on the study, which was published this week in a scientific journal called Environmental Health Perspectives.

Tampabay.com - www.tampabay.com 08 Apr 2011 C Pittman Photo credit: Taegan McMahon

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>> T McMahon et al. The Fungicide Chlorothalonil is Nonlinearly Associated with Corticosterone Levels, Immunity, and Mortality in Amphibians. Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr 4; [Epub ahead of print].

Wildlife Health Bulletin - White-nose syndrome discovered in Ohio, new county in Maryland, and New Brunswick

White-nose syndrome, a devastating disease of hibernating bats, continues to spread to new locations in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. Ohio has recently announced confirmed cases of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in Lawrence County; Maryland, which first announced WNS in 2010, has reported that WNS has been confirmed in an adjacent County (Washington); and New Brunswick, Canada, is reporting bats infected with WNS for the first time (in Albert County).

USGS National Wildlife Health Center - www.nwhc.usgs.gov
06 Apr 2011
J Sleeman

>>> TO WILDLIFE HEALTH BULLETIN
>>> TO WILDLIFE HEALTH BULLETIN ARCHIVE

Virus in Chinese ducks could infect humans

Ducks, an important item in Chinese cuisine, have been felled by a new virus threatening Chinese duck farms, agricultural officials in that country say.

Last year Chinese farmers noticed their prized birds were producing fewer eggs than usual, and egg production plummeted by as much as 90 percent in some flocks. Ducks were waddling about awkwardly, their coordination hampered, and eating less than usual. Some died within days.

UPI.com - www.upi.com
29 Mar 2011

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>>Chinese Ducks Felled By New Virus. Science. 2011 Apr 08; 332 (6026): 157.

Migratory birds, domestic poultry and avian influenza

The persistence and recurrence of H5N1 avian influenza in endemic regions can largely be blamed on movement and infection by migratory birds.

Trade in poultry, poultry products and caged birds, and movement of wild birds also account for H5N1 prevalence in these areas.

Several recent outbreaks of avian influenza have suggested strong evidence of migratory birds playing a role in transmitting the virus over long distances.

EurekAlert! - www.eurekalert.org
05 Apr 2011

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article
>>>L Bourouiba et al. The Interaction of Migratory Birds and Domestic Poultry and its role in sustaining Avian Influenza. SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics. 2011 Mar 29; 71 (487): 487-516.

50 birds fall dead into Kansas yard

A central Kansas family hopes to learn what caused the deaths of dozens of birds that fell from trees outside their house.

Elizabeth Stange says it started with one or two birds tumbling to the ground Thursday afternoon, followed by dozens more.

The Sterling woman told KWCH-TV that the birds all died within minutes of each other.

Kansas City Star - www.kansascity.com (Source: Associated Press)
08 Apr 2011
Location: Sterling, Rice County, Kansas, USA - Map It