Wildlife Disease News Digest

TOP STORIES

Study conducted into honey bees
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
01 Oct 2009
Photo courtesy of BBC News

Researchers are embarking on a three-year study into how food supplies affect honey bees and their resistance to disease.

Beekeepers have reported what they call "alarming" declines in the numbers of colonies that are surviving.

. . . There have been a variety of explanations put forward, such as the increased use of pesticides, the spread of parasites that feed on the bees themselves, or the loss of farmland flowers as agriculture has intensified.

For the first time researchers at Rothamsted will be looking at how nutrition is related to a hive's ability to resist disease.

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Coral bleaching increases chances of coral disease
EurekAlert! - www.eurekalert.org
01 Oct 2009
Photo credit: M Brandt

Mass coral bleaching has devastated coral colonies around the world for almost three decades. Now scientists have found that bleaching can make corals more susceptible to disease and, in turn, coral disease can exacerbate the negative effects of bleaching. A paper in the October issue of the journal Ecology shows that when they occur together, this combination of afflictions causes greater harm to corals than either does on its own.

"Traditionally, scientists have attributed coral declines after mass bleaching events to the bleaching only," says Marilyn Brandt, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Miami and the lead author on the paper. "This study shows that the interplay between diseases and bleaching can play a much larger role than we realized."

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Journal Article Cited
Disease incidence is related to bleaching extent in reef-building corals. Ecology. Oct 2009; 90(10): 2859-2867.

Mountain lion, cow latest rabies victims in eastern El Paso County
The Gazette - www.gazette.com
28 Sep 2009
B Newsome

Location: El Paso County, Colorado, USA - Map It

Back-to-back cases of a rabid mountain lion and a cow in eastern El Paso County have provided the latest evidence of the fatal disease’s sudden resurgence in the area in recent months.

The animals were euthanized late last week after displaying bizarre behavior, and their positive tests for rabies were announced Monday. The cases come just two weeks after a rabid horse was euthanized in the Black Forest area, and Colorado’s top veterinarian says northern and eastern El Paso County appear to be among the worst places for rabies statewide.

It’s not clear how the lion and cow were infected, but health officials speculate the cases are tied to skunk rabies, which recently surfaced in El Paso County for the first time since 1970. Since then, eight skunks have tested positive, most in the north and eastern parts of the county.

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West Nile Virus Confirmed In Allegheny County
The Pittsburgh Channel - www.thepittsburghchannel.com
02 Oct 2009

Location: Pennsylvania, USA - Map It

Health officials with Pennsylvania's West Nile control program have confirmed four mosquitoes and one bird have tested positive for the disease in the state.

. . . The bird found with West Nile was collected in Springfield Township in Delaware County.

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Related News
More birds, chickens found with West Nile virus in Contra Costa County -
California, USA Map It

Body of evidence shows that atrazine harms fish and amphibians, USF researchers say
St. Petersburg Times - www.tampabay.com/publication/
01 Oct 2009
R Danielson

With the EPA taking a hard look at the popular weed killer atrazine, two University of South Florida biologists say there's evidence it harms fish and frogs.

. . . the USF researchers say study after scientific study shows that atrazine alters or interferes with the development, behavior and the immune, hormone and reproductive systems of aquatic animals.

"There are clear, consistent effects of atrazine on freshwater fish and amphibians … and many of those effects are on vital systems," said Jason Rohr, an assistant professor in USF's department of integrative biology.

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