Wildlife Disease News Digest

TOP STORIES

Deadly bat disease spreading fast, scientists warn lawmakers
Miami Herald - www.miamihearld.com
04 Jun 2009
C Wells

A mysterious disease that's killing tens of thousands of bats in the Northeast is spreading so fast that it could reach California within five years, biologists and officials of the Agriculture and Interior departments told lawmakers Thursday.

"Never in my wildest imagination would I have dreamed of anything that could pose this serious a threat to America's bats," Merlin Tuttle, a biologist with Bat Conservation International who's studied the creatures for 50 years, told two House of Representatives subcommittees.

He called the bat-killing disease, which could threaten eight species with extinction, "the most serious threat to American wildlife in the past century."

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More Bat News

>>> Mystery ailment spreads in forests: White-nose syndrome killing bats [includes map]

>>> Bat disease spreading

>>> Vt. scientist asks U.S. House for help with bat disease

>>> Bat disease expected to hit Kentucky
>>> Bat disease ‘threatens humans’
>>> Annual bat count takes on added significance
>>> Volunteers to check on N.J. bat numbers

Bird Flu Viruses Can Live for Five Months in Water
Environmental News Service - www.ens-newswire.com
04 June 2009
Photo courtesy of Island-Life

There are avian influenza viruses that can persist for up to 150 days in water, a research team at the University of Georgia has shown, advancing understanding of how outbreaks of bird flu begin in wild bird populations.

This discovery has allowed scientists to create the first model that takes into account both direct and indirect transmission of the flu viruses among birds.

"The environmental transmission of avian influenza among birds is quite rare, but our model shows that it can play an important role in outbreaks," said lead author Pejman Rohani, professor in the University of Georgia-Athens Odum School of Ecology.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More Avian Influenza News

>>> Bird Flu Virus Can Survive Two Years in Landfill: Carcasses of infected birds continue to be infectious, study finds

Estrogen Linked To Lowered Immunity In Fish
Science Daily - www.sciencedaily.com
04 Jun 2009

Exposure to estrogen reduces production of immune-related proteins in fish. This suggests that certain compounds, known as endocrine disruptors, may make fish more susceptible to disease.

The research may provide new clues for why intersex fish, fish kills and fish lesions often occur together in the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. The tests were conducted in a lab by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The study, led by USGS genomics researcher Dr. Laura Robertson, revealed that largemouth bass injected with estrogen produced lowered levels of hepcidin, an important iron-regulating hormone in mammals that is also found in fish and amphibians. This is the first published study demonstrating control of hepcidin by estrogen in any animal.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Article

Identification of centrarchid hepcidins and evidence that 17β-estradiol disrupts constitutive expression of hepcidin-1 and inducible expression of hepcidin-2 in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Fish & Shellfish Immunology. 2009 Jun; 26(6): 898-907

More Fish News
>>> Bacterial infection kills fish in North Liberty lake [Flavobacterium columnare (Mouth Fungus); Iowa, USA - Map It

]
>>> Fish Kill Investigation Reopened [Memorial Lake, Kansas, USA - Map It

]
>>> Bacteria threat to fish on some northern lakes
>>> DNR Expects Fish Kill in Some Wisconsin Lakes

Birds positive for West Nile virus found in Sunnyvale and San Jose
Mercury News - www.mercurynews.com
04 Jun 2009
S Gonzales
Location: California, USA, Sunnyvale - Map It

and San Jose - Map It

Two dead crows found in Sunnyvale and San Jose have tested positive for West Nile virus, the first infected birds in Santa Clara County this year.

The birds, discovered last week, were in the West San Jose area near Bongate Court and Latimer Avenue and in Sunnyvale near Orleans Drive, north of Highway 237.

So far, no human West Nile virus cases have been found in Santa Clara County and the Vector Control District is collecting adult mosquitoes weekly for testing. In addition, the district is following patterns of where the dead birds are found in an effort to identify areas of increased risk of human transmission of the virus.

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More West Nile Virus News

>>> Neb. will begin testing all species of birds for West Nile

Dead Birds On The Beaches
Coastal Post Online - www.coastalpost.com
Jun 2009 News Bulletin Issue
K Nakamura

WildCare is informing the public that there have been "hundreds of seabirds found dead on California beaches" in recent months. The birds have been found from Santa Barbara to the Bay Area. The cause isn't known. The birds hit hardest are Brandt's Cormorants and grebes; 67 cormorants and 13 grebes were recovered at San Francisco's Ocean Beach by the end of April.

All tests for Avian Influenza, West Nile Virus, Newcastle Disease and Domoic Acid, (which causes the deadly "red algae" blooms) were negative. That introduces a number of theories; a drop in food supplies due to over-fishing, climate change and stream run-off from current crop spraying inland. WildCare asks that dead bird bodies be left on the beach so Beach Combers and Beach Watch groups can gather accurate data. Any live and beached birds should be reported to the local animal control agency for rescue.

. . . For the first time, the scientific community came together in "a single voice to express urgency over the environmental crisis facing the Pacific Ocean." Meg Caldwell executive director of the Center for Ocean Solutions stated in Indonesia as government officials gathered. If left unchecked, scientists warned, there could be devastating consequences to "coastal economies, food supplies, public health and political stability."

>>> FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of The Guardian