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Scientists Cage Dead Zebras in Africa to Understand the Spread of Anthrax
Scavengers might not play as key a role in spreading anthrax through wildlife populations as previously assumed, according to findings from a small study conducted in Etosha National Park in northern Namibia.
Wildlife managers currently spend large amounts of money and time to control anthrax outbreaks by preventing scavengers from feeding on infected carcasses. The effort might be ill spent, according to results published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology by an international consortium of researchers led by Steven Bellan, an ecologist at The University of Texas at Austin.
Science Daily
22 Apr 2013
Cited Journal Article
SE Bellan et al. Effects of experimental exclusion of scavengers from anthrax-infected herbivore carcasses on Bacillus anthracis sporulation, survival and distribution. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2013; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00181-13
Wildlife Health Bulletin - Snake Fungal Disease in the United States
Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) is an emerging disease in certain populations of wild snakes in the eastern and midwestern United States. While fungal infections were occasionally reported in wild snakes prior to 2006, recently the number of free-ranging snakes with fungal dermatitis submitted to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and other diagnostic laboratories has been increasing.
Laboratory analyses have demonstrated that the fungus Chrysosporium ophiodiicola is consistently associated with SFD, but often, additional fungi are isolated from affected snakes. At this time, definitive evidence that C. ophiodiicola causes SFD is inconclusive. As its name implies, SFD is only known to afflict snakes.
To date, the NWHC has confirmed fungal dermatitis (or the suspected fungal pathogen in association with skin lesions) in wild snakes from nine states, including Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. However, it is suspected that SFD is more widespread in the United States than is currently documented. Multiple species of snakes have been diagnosed with SFD at the NWHC (see attached figures), including northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon), eastern racer (Coluber constrictor), rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus species complex), timber rattlesnake (Crolatus horridus), massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius), and milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum).
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Humans Passing Drug Resistance to Wildlife in Protected Areas in Africa
A team of Virginia Tech researchers has discovered that humans are passing antibiotic resistance to wildlife, especially in protected areas where numbers of humans are limited.
In the case of banded mongoose in a Botswana study, multidrug resistance among study social groups, or troops, was higher in the protected area than in troops living in village areas. The study also reveals that humans and mongoose appear to be readily exchanging fecal microorganisms, increasing the potential for disease transmission.
Science Daily
24 Apr 2013
Rabies Detected in New Area of State
A wolf killed in late March this year after it closely approached a trapper around the Chandalar Lakes area has tested positive for rabies. Rabies had not previously been documented in this area south of the Brooks Range.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is asking the public to report any wolves, wolverines, foxes or other wildlife acting abnormally to the nearest ADF&G office, and by sending an email to dfg.dwc.vet@alaska.gov. Animals with rabies might be fearless in approaching people, attack inanimate moving objects, or be unable to run or move normally, said Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, wildlife veterinarian with the department.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
23 Apr 2013
Location: Chandalar Lake, Alaska, USA - Map It 
More Rabies News
Rabies cases on the rise [Oklahoma, USA]
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
- Maine Hunters to be on Lookout for Diseased Birds [Lymphoproliferative disease virus][Maine, USA]
- Koala chlamydia: The STD threatening an Australian icon [Australia]
- Manatee deaths at Indian River Lagoon: Questions abound in mysterious deaths of manatees, pelicans [Florida, USA]
- Updated White-Nose Syndrome Map [White-Nose Syndrome.org][For an interactive, view WNS news reports on Global Wildlife Disease News Map]
- ProMED: Undiagnosed deaths, dolphin: update [Tyrrhenian coast, Italy - Map It ]
- Algae and pneumonia blamed for marine deaths [Adelaide, Australia - Map It ]
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| Sharing some cuteness: The bats in the photo were rescued along with over 100 others in Australia in 2011, but recently this photo resurfaced. |
- First Case Of New Bird Flu Found Outside China
- H7N9 Is an 'Unusually Dangerous Virus,' International Group of Experts Concludes
- World experts to help China with bird flu investigation
- Mapping the H7N9 avian flu outbreaks
- Tufts symposium to examine humans' impact on wildlife
- Which Primate Is the Most Likely Source of the Next Pandemic?
- Hepatitis C-Like Viruses Identified in Bats and Rodents
- SARS Lessons: Stay Alert for Emerging Pathogens
- Biogeographic Barrier That Protects Australia from Avian Flu Does Not Stop Nipah Virus
- Vets and Medical Doctors Should Team Up to Tackle Diseases Transmitted from Animals to Humans
- Freezing frog eggs could save fish
- What Happens When 40 Sharks Find a Dead Whale
- ASU student tracks Asian bird's migration patterns; recommends conservation strategies
- Insights into deadly coral bleaching could help preserve reefs: Surprising result from study of 1893 World's Fair corals using modern technology
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