Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Mosquito threat to giant tortoise
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
02 Jun 2009
M McGrath
Photo credit: PA
Area: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The famous Galapagos giant tortoises could be at serious risk from mosquitoes that have developed a taste for reptile blood, experts have warned.

Scientists say increased tourism means there is now a greater risk of a disease-carrying insect being transported to the islands.

Local mosquitoes that have evolved to feed on reptiles could then pick up the diseases and pass them on.

Galapagos wildlife has little immunity to mosquitoes due to their isolation.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Growth to blame for rise in rabies
Augusta Chronicle - chronicle.augusta.com
31 May 2009
R Pavey
Area: Columbia County, Georgia

. . . Rabies, a dangerous viral disease rarely seen in most areas, has taken on new importance in Columbia County and similar communities where rapid growth has forced more humans to interact with wildlife.

"We had 12 cases here last year -- a record for us," Mrs. Fulmer said. "We normally run just four or five a year. So far this year, though, we've already had six cases."

The county's recent rabies cases have included some unusual incidents.

"Last year, we had the coyote and the cows," she said, referring to an incident in July in which a rabid coyote attacked a dozen cattle near Appling. One cow that was bitten developed symptoms of rabies and was euthanized; the remaining cows were released from quarantine after six months.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

As "white nose" syndrome spreads, green groups want more funds for bat research
North Country Public Radio - www.northcountrypublicradio.org
02 Jun 2009
Photo credit: Brian Mann
Area: United States

On Thursday morning in Washington DC, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on "white nose" syndrome. The mysterious ailment was first identified in upstate New York. It has since spread across the Northeast, killing hundreds of thousands of bats. Green groups are urging Congress to commit millions of dollars for new research and response efforts. Brian Mann spoke with Mollie Matteson in Richmond, Vermont. She’s with a group called the Center for Biological Diversity.

>>>PODCAST

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One Step Closer to Understanding Fish Health in Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers
USGS Newsroom - www.usgs.gov/newsroom
03 Jun 2009
Area: United States

Estrogen Linked to Lowered Immunity in Fish

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

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Is no creature safe from the flu?
Chronicle Herald - thechronicleherald.ca
02 Jun 2009
H Branswell
Photo credit: Ken Bohn / Zoological Society of San Diego
Area: Tennessee, United States

. . . The February 2007 outbreak, involving 11 adult giant anteaters at Tennessee’s Nashville zoo, is reported in an article that will be published in the July issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. All the anteaters survived the illness.

Beyond the initial "Even anteaters?" reaction, some who study influenza profess to be less taken aback than Kennedy and her co-authors.

The virus is so unpredictable, scientists who work in the field expect the unexpected.

"Mainly it’s an indication of how much we don’t know, and the promiscuity of flu in terms of being able to change hosts and infect and adapt to new situations," says Dr. Jeffrey Hall, who last November added raccoons to the lengthening list of flu’s hosts.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: The Telegraph