June 8, 2012

In the Spotlight - Upcoming Wildlife Health Related Meetings


3rd International Influenza Meeting 2012
Münster, Germany
September 2-4, 2012

The meeting offers the opportunity to exchange new data and aspects of influenza research. Meeting hosts will provide a challenging scientific programme with plenary lectures and key-notes by invited speakers and selected oral and poster presentations.



19th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society held Jointly with AAWV
Portland, Oregon
October 13-17, 2012

The American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians is partnering with TWS this year. Members attending this conference will enjoy the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians (AAWV) co-sponsored Wildlife Health plenary session and symposia, a workshop on wildlife necropsy and sampling, continuing education credit through ACZM. This is a great opportunity for AAWV members and other wildlife professionals to network and gain 
the opportunity to broaden wildlife health professions affiliations.



EcoHealth 2012 - Sustaining Ecosystems, Supporting Health
Kunming City, China
Oct 15-18, 2012

The EcoHealth 2012 conference, Sustaining Ecosystems, Supporting Health, invites delegates to actively work at the interface between three intersecting arenas of sustainability and health research:
  1. Transdisciplinarity;
  2. Vulnerable Populations, Vulnerable Ecosystems, and Health; and, 
  3. Building Capacity and Action
These themes are derived from, but are not limited to, key areas of focus within ecosystem approaches to health research which addresses health problems faced by clinicians and epidemiologists, farmers and developers, politicians and researchers, veterinarians and consumers alike.
At this conference delegates will be asked to pose challenging and complex questions about the components of, and interrelationships between, these three themes and in doing so to concretely strengthen and expand EcoHealth thinking, practice and commitments to action.



Learn about Other Upcoming Meetings and Conferences Using the WDIN Event Calendar

Fig 1: Image of WDIN's Event Calendar
If you are interested in staying current on upcoming wildlife disease related meetings, visit the WDIN's searchable Event Calendar.

Users can browse month-by-month or search for specific meetings. Click on a meeting title and get information directly from the conference web site.

You can also view these calendar events on the Digest's Professional Announcement webpage as a list (see figure 2 below). 


Get Calendar Information Delivered to YOU

Fig 2: Calendar information available from the Digest's
Professional Announcement webpage. Click on link highlighted with red box
Upcoming Meetings and Events
For those who use RSS readers, like Google Reader or Bloglines, WDIN provides the RSS feed, 'Upcoming Meetings and Events'. Subscribers are notified of upcoming meetings scheduled out over an 6 month period.  You can subscribe here.

Non-RSS users can get the same information delivered to your email. Click here to start your email subscription.

Just Added Meetings and Events
Do you want to know what has just been added to the WDIN calender?  Then, you will want to sign up for the 'Just Added Meetings and Events' feed. RSS users subscribe here. Email users you are not to be left out, you can sign up here to subscribe.


Did We Miss an Important Meeting?


If you notice that our calendar is missing an important meeting, please email the meeting url to us at digest@wdin.org and if it fits into the scope of wildlife health we will add it.

June 7, 2012

Today's Wildlife Disease News Stories

TOP STORIES
Is a Russian spacecraft killing Kazakhstan's antelope? Nearly 1,000 carcasses found as mass death strikes for third year in a row

Scientists have been left baffled after nearly 1,000 rare antelope were found dead in Kazakhstan - marking the species' third mass death in just two years.

At least 12,000 of the country's critically endangered saiga antelope population mysteriously died off in May 2010 and another 450 exactly a year later. Now, a year after that, the latest spate of deaths has spawned a range of theories as to what killed the creatures, from bacterial infections to harmful fertilisers and even emissions from spacecraft.

The official line from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture is that the saiga were killed by pasteurellosis, a lung infection caused by bacteria that only harm animals with weakened immune systems.

But, as Scientific American reports, some ecologists in Kazakhstan and neighbouring Russia blame the recent landing of a spacecraft from the International Space Station.In April a Soyuz capsule carrying two Russian astronauts and one American touched down near the village of Sorsha, where at least 120 dead saiga were discovered last month.

Mail Online - www.dailymail.co.uk
02 Jun 2012
Location:  Kazakhstan - Map It



'Starving' crown-of-thorns starfish in mass stranding

Hundreds of crown-of-thorns starfish found on a beach in southern Japan in January stranded themselves because they were starving, say researchers. More than 800 were discovered on a 300m stretch of sand on Ishigaki island.

The starfish population "outbreak" was first identified in 2009, when masses of juveniles were seen feeding on the island's outer coral reef.  The coral-eating starfish then took three years to move onto the beach where they perished.

The reason for the starfish population boom is not clear, but the strange behaviour has shown marine scientists what can happen when these slow-moving creatures completely deplete their food source.

"The shortage of food, corals, is a probable cause of the stranding," said Go Suzuki from the Fisheries Research Agency, who witnessed the phenomenon from his research station.

BBC Nature - www.bbc.co.uk
04 Jun 2012
E Davies
Location: Ishigaki Island, Japan - Map It




Deformed fish sent for genetic testing: Unhealthy fish from Lake Athabasca discovered by Fort Chipewyan band members

A First Nations community in northeastern Alberta downstream from Alberta’s oilsands region have released photos of deformed fish that band members caught in Lake Athabasca, and have sent to a Calgary lab for genetic testing.

The fish, a sucker and a northern pike, were caught in two separate locations in Lake Athabasca Wednesday afternoon. The pike appears to have several red lesions covering its belly and a single red lesion running the length of its back. The sucker was found floating near-death on the surface, missing many of its scales.

...The fish were delivered to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre Monday, where biologists will perform genetic and chemical tests on the fish to determine the cause of the deformities.

...This is not the first time a deformed fish has been found in the Lake Athabasca region. In 2010, the band hosted a presentation at the University of Alberta, displaying fish with tumours, snubbed faces, shortened tails, lesions and other signs of disease.

Fort McMurray Today - www.fortmcmurraytoday.com
05 Jun 2012
V McDermott
Location: Lake Athabasca, Alberta, Canada - Map It


More Fish Health News 



OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS

It Ain't All Bad News

June 6, 2012

Wildlife Disease Journal Digest

Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Parasite diversity and coinfection determine pathogen infection success and host fitness
PNAS. 2012 Jun 05; 109(23): 9006-9011. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201790109
PRJ Johnson and JT Hoverman

Land Use and Wetland Spatial Position Jointly Determine Amphibian Parasite Communities
EcoHealth. 2011; 8(4): 485-500, DOI: 10.1007/s10393-011-0715-9
RB Hartson et al.

EcoHealth and the Influenza A/H5N1 Dual Use Issue

EcoHealth. 2012;[Epub ahead of print]. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-012-0768-4
M Jeggo et al.

Questionable Diagnosis, Ineffective Treatment [Book review]
EcoHealth. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-012-0767-5
H Frumkin

Patterns of Stranding and Mortality in Common Seals (Phoca vitulina) and Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) in The Netherlands between 1979 and 2008
Journal of Comparative Pathology. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]
N Osinga et al.

Recovery Potential of a Western Lowland Gorilla Population following a Major Ebola Outbreak: Results from a Ten Year Study
PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(5): e37106. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037106
C Genton et al.

Phylogenetic analysis of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus in China and the antigenic variation of new strains
Archives of Virology. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1007/s00705-012-1340-9
X Wang et al.

Bats host major mammalian paramyxoviruses
Nature Communications. 2012 April; 3(796). doi:10.1038/ncomms1796
JF Dreler et al.

Partitioning of Cd and Pb in the blood of European blackbirds (Turdus merula) from a smelter contaminated site and use for biomonitoring
Chemosphere. 2012 Jun;87(11):1368-73. Epub 2012 Mar 6. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.02.031
M Coeurdassier et al.

NWHC Plan for Avian Influenza Surveillance of Wild Birds [pdf]
Wildlife Health Bulletin. 2012 May 9; 2012-03: 1-2
USGS National Wildlife Health Center

Seasonal and biogeographical patterns of gastrointestinal parasites in large carnivores: wolves in a coastal archipelago
Parasitology. 2012 May;139(6):781-90. Epub 2012 Feb 6.
HM Bryan et al.

Variations of transcript profiles between sea otters Enhydra lutris from Prince William Sound, Alaska, and clinically normal reference otters
Marine Ecology Progress Series. 2012;451: 201-212
AK Miles et al.

Detergents modify proteinase K resistance of PrP Sc in different transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)
Vet Microbiol. 2012 May 25;157(1-2):23-31. Epub 2011 Dec 14.
J Breyer et al.

June 4, 2012

Today's Wildlife Disease News Stories

TOP STORIES

Possible canine distemper outbreak reported in Weed

The Public Health department is investigating a possible outbreak of canine distemper in foxes around the city of Weed.... Over the past several weeks, members of the community of Weed have reported daytime sightings of several disorientated foxes in various locations throughout the community.

...The California Department of Fish and Game is currently working to determine what may have affected the sick foxes observed in Weed.

Mount Shasta Heald - www.mtshastanews.com
31 May 2012
Location: Weeds, California - Map It


Gulf oil spill pollutants found in pelicans migrating to Minnesota

Pollutants from the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago are showing up in Minnesota birds that migrate to the gulf.

Researchers for the state Department of Natural Resources have found evidence of petroleum compounds and the chemical used to clean up the oil in the eggs of pelicans nesting in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

The area is a perfect place to look for oil spill effects. Most of the birds spend winters in the Gulf of Mexico, from Cuba to Texas. Young pelicans spend a full year on the gulf before they start breeding.

TwinCities.com - www.twin.cities.com
18 May 2012
D Gunderson
Location: Marsh Lake, Minnesota, USA



Blue-green algae release chemical suspected in some amphibian deformities

Retinoic acid levels high in waterways rich in cyanobacteria blooms

Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, could be an underappreciated but widespread source of compounds called retinoic acids in waterways, says environmental toxicologist Jianying Hu of Peking University. Out of 24 kinds of cyanobacteria grown in a lab, 13 produced some kind of retinoic acid or retinoic acid cousin, Hu and her colleagues report online May 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Retinoic acids, formed from vitamin A, help sculpt developing body parts in vertebrates. Researchers puzzling over clusters of deformed frogs first highlighted in the 1990s have considered retinoic acids as one of several possible villains.

Science News - www.sciencenews.org
30 Mar 2012
S Milius


Studied massive fish kills in Chacahua

After the discovery of a large number of dead fish in the lagoon complex Chachahua occurred in recent days, various agencies conducted field studies and parameters to determine the causes of this phenomenon.

Overall coordination, agencies and academic institutions specializing in environmental and aquifer concluded that the lack of oxygen caused by the presence of algae caused the type Cochlodinium polykrikoides phenomenon called "Dinoflagenado" main cause of massive fish kills in the nature reserve located in Melchor Ocampo Tututepec.

According to State Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development of Oaxaca, instances were several samples of water and several fish analyzed, concluding that the death was caused by species of algae, mainly damaging larvae and juvenile fish production by mass of mucus and decay in the oxygen concentrations.

Ciudadania Express - ciudadania-express.com
30 May 2012
Location: Chacahua Lagoons National Park, Oaxaca, Mexico - Map It


More Fish Health News



Trade rules must be tightened to halt frog-killing fungus

... Scientists have rushed to understand the disease [chytridiomycosis], and have attempted different ways to mitigate its spread....But science alone is not sufficient. Mark Auliya, a herpetologist and trade-policy expert at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, says that policies have to change on an international level.

Auliya is part of the European Union (EU) project Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European Amphibian Biodiversity (RACE), in which teams of scientists are each looking at different aspects of the disease: genetics, physiological and behavioural effects, and geography. RACE will end in 2013 and Auliya is preparing to make a raft of policy recommendations based on the project. He spoke to Nature about the compelling need for new animal-trade legislation.

Nature - www.nature.com
01 Jun 2012
K Sanderson


OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of The Guardian feature, Week in Wildlife
Harmful Alga Bloom News


June 1, 2012

In the Spotlight: Past Disease Investigation from Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS)

A Wildlife Disease Case Study from SCWDS Briefs
April 2012 Issue

Polyarthritis in Raccoons


Since late 2010, SCWDS has received raccoons with polyarthritis from rehabilitation facilities in Kentucky and Virginia. The animals had multiple swollen joints, often with abscesses in adjacent tissues, and soft tissues associated with the lesions were inflamed and contained purulent material.

Within affected joints, synovial structures were inflamed and necrotic with fibrinous exudate. A normal (Figure 1) and arthritic stifle (Figure 2) from the same raccoon are shown below.

Typical rule-outs for polyarthritis in wild and domestic animals include sepsis (overwhelming bacteria in the blood stream), some tick-borne diseases, Mycoplasma sp. infection, trauma, and some immune-mediated diseases. In free-ranging animals with multiple swollen joints and no signs of trauma, sepsis is the most likely cause; however, in these cases there was no evidence of sepsis or trauma.

Samples submitted for culture of Mycoplasma spp., aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria tested negative. With PCR, all but one of the samples from affected raccoons tested positive for Mycoplasma sp., and the sequences from PCR positives were identical.

Comparison with Mycoplasma sp. isolates in GenBank® strongly suggested that this was an undescribed Mycoplasma sp. that was most closely related to Mycoplasma spp. found in the upper respiratory tract of bottle-nosed dolphins, Mycoplasma equigenitalium associated with congenital disorders and infertility in horses, and Mycoplasma elephantis....

Source: SCWDS Briefs – A Quarterly Newsletter from the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study College of Veterinary Medicine - April 2012, Vol.28, No. 1 [pdf]





May 30, 2012

Today's Wildlife Disease News Stories

TOP STORIES

Bat killer hits endangered grays

Federal scientists confirmed the fungal epidemic has struck a second species of endangered American bats

The news on white-nose syndrome just keeps spiraling downward. The fungal infection, which first emerged six years ago, was reported May 29 in a seventh species of North American bats — the largely cave-dwelling grays (Myotis grisecens). The latest victims were identified while hibernating this past winter in two Tennessee counties.

Science News - www.sciencenews.org
29 May 2012
J Raloff
Location: Tennessee, USA - Map It 


More Bat News 

Austria ignores widespread bird deaths

Austrian officials say they have no plans to act and are not even monitoring the situation after thousands of dead birds were reported across the country apparently as a result of infection by trichomonosis.

In the United Kingdom the widespread deaths of birds resulted in an information campaign and a request for members of the public to inform the Garden Bird Health Initiative about possible deaths of birds from the disease.

But in Austria the only reason the problem is even been mentioned briefly in the news is because an animal rights campaigner from Upper Austria commissioned the Vienna veterinary University to look at why she had managed to find 64 dead birds on her 17,000 metre property at Hartkirchen in Eferding.

Vienna Times - www.viennatimes.at
27 May 2012
Location: Hartkirchen, Austria - Map It



In Wild Animals, Charting the Pathways of Disease

....Peering into the nostrils of wild sheep is part of the nascent field of eco-immunology, which seeks both to understand the immune systems of wild animals and to use that knowledge to gain a better understanding of human immune systems. Until recently, this kind of knowledge has been gleaned almost exclusively by studying pampered, genetically similar lab animals, which don’t reflect a real-world scenario.

Eco-immunology works to understand how disease spreads in wildlife populations — the bighorn sheep are in trouble because of pneumonia that spread from domestic sheep — and how it can be worsened by human and environmental factors like climate change. Another major goal is to understand the pathways that deadly diseases can follow from wildlife to humans.

The New York Times - www.nytimes.com
28 May 2012
J Robbins


More News on the Benefits of Understanding Wildlife Disease


OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of The Guardian feature, The Week in Wildlife

Fish Die-off NewsDolphin Die-off in Peru News
Huh?! That's Interesting
Ancient walking mystery deepens




Wildlife Disease Journal Digest

Browse complete Digest publication library here.


Molecular characterisation of beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) in New Zealand and its implications for managing an infectious disease
Archives of Virology. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1007/s00705-012-1336-5
M Massaro et al.

Phylogeographic analysis of avian influenza viruses isolated from Charadriiformes in Belgium confirms intercontinental reassortment in gulls
Archives of Virology. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1007/s00705-012-1323-x
S Van Borm et al.

Emerging prion disease drives host selection in a wildlife population
Ecological Applications. 2012; 22:1050–1059. doi:10.1890/11-0907.1
SJ Robinson et al.

Analysis of post-blood meal flight distances in mosquitoes utilizing zoo animal blood meals
J Vector Ecol. 2012 Jun;37(1):83-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1948-7134.2012.00203.x.
JA Greenberg et al.

Using Knowledge Fusion to Analyze Avian Influenza H5N1 in East and Southeast Asia
PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(5): e29617. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029617
E Ge et al.  

Greater impacts of wind farms on bird populations during construction than subsequent operation: results of a multi-site and multi-species analysis
Journal of Applied Ecology. 2012 Apr; 49(2): 386–394. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02110.x
JW Pearce-Higgins et al.

Parasites and pathogens in wild populations of water voles (Arvicola amphibius) in the UK
European Journal of Wildlife Research. 2012 JUN; 58(3): 615-619. doi:10.1007/s10344-011-0584-0
M Gelling et al.

New Directions in Conservation Medicine:Applied Cases of Ecological Health [Book description]
AA Aguirre et al.

Book Review: Of Moose and Men - A Wildlife Vet's Pursuit of the World's Largest Deer
Open Letters
S Donoghue

Inter-Research Diseases of Aquatic Organisms - May 2012
Volume 99, Issue 01

Emerging Infectious Diseases - June 2012
Volume 18, Number 06



European Journal of Wildlife Research - June 2012
Volume 58, Number 3

Integration of syndromic surveillance data into public health practice at state and local levels in north Carolina
Public Health Rep. 2012 May;127(3):310-7.
E Samoff et al.

Courtesy of Australia Wildlife Health Network

Infectious Disease Surveillance and Monitoring System for Animal and Human Health:
Summary of notable events/incidents of public health significance for the period
1 – 30th April 2012
[pdf]

Issued: 18 May 2012
Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Health Protection Agency and DEFRA

Defra Horizon Scanning Newsletter: May 2012 [pdf]
Issue 30
The newsletter covers new insights and emerging issues from a range of topic areas relevant to Defra and its customers. Insights include anything from shifts in consumer attitudes and developments in food and farming, to trends in technology, energy and resources

Australian Society for Parasitology Newsletter - March 2012 [pdf]
Volume 23, Issue 01

Emergence of Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome in Native Fish of the Murray-Darling River System, Australia: Hosts, Distribution and Possible Vectors
PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(4): e35568. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035568
CA Boys et al.

Pathophysiology in Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs (Rana muscosa) during a Chytridiomycosis Outbreak
PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(4): e35374. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035374
J Voyles et al.

Ecophysiology of avian migration in the face of current global hazards
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 19 June 2012 vol. 367 no. 1596 1719-1732. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0008
M Klaassen et al.

The impact and implications of climate change for bats
Mammal Review. 2012; [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2012.00214.x
HA Sherwin et al.

Ecophysiology meets conservation: understanding the role of disease in amphibian population declines
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2012 Jun 19; 367(1596): 1688-1707. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0011
AR Blaustein et al.


May 28, 2012

US Federal Holiday - No News


Due to the U.S. federal holiday, Memorial Day, there will be no wildlife disease news updates until Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Not celebrating the holiday? The WDIN staff always welcomes contributions to the Wildlife Disease News Digest, especially non-English stories. Let's make this a collaborative effort!

Send your stories to us at digest@wdin.org, and we'll review them for inclusion in the News Digest. Our news selection policy can be found here.

We thank you for your continued readership and support!

WDIN Team

May 25, 2012

In the Spotlight: Wildlife Health Bulletin from USGS National Wildlife Health Center

NWHC Plan for Avian Influenza Surveillance of Wild Birds
Wildlife Health Bulletin 2012-03

. . . With the exception of a few targeted efforts, the majority of the live bird and hunter harvested AI surveillance programs were discontinued in 2010. The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) is continuing surveillance for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza by focusing on testing sick and dead migratory birds, particularly ducks, geese and swans.

We believe that the systematic investigation of morbidity and mortality events in wild birds offers a cost-effective method for detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, as well as other emerging wild bird diseases, should they occur in migratory birds in the United States.

In an effort to maximize early detection of H5N1 HPAI, wildlife managers should be alert for wild bird morbidity and mortality events that meet any of the following criteria:
  1. Mortality events of any size involving waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans). North American waterfowl species known to be particularly susceptible to H5N1 HPAI include the wood duck, gadwall and swan species.
  2. Mortality events involving other North American species known to be susceptible to H5N1 HPAI, including eared grebes, dunlin, laughing and black-headed gulls and raptor groups such as falcons (kestrels and peregrine falcons).
  3. Mortality events involving bird species where it is estimated that the mortality exceeds 500 birds.
  4. Wild bird mortality events in close proximity to poultry operations, or mortality events associated with birds that have been imported from countries where H5N1 HPAI is known to occur, are other examples of events that would warrant investigation.
NWHC will also test for H5N1 HPAI in other species when the circumstances of disease outbreaks, including rapid mortality progression and pathologic findings, suggest that avian influenza may be a factor.

NWHC will continue submitting samples to the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories for mortality events exceeding 500 birds, and results will be reported through the HEDDS Web site (a link to HEDDS can also be found on the avian influenza page on the NWHC Web site).

A comprehensive list of USGS avian influenza publications resulting from national and international avian influenza research studies conducted at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Alaska Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center, and the National Wildlife Health Center is available at http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/avian_influenza/ai_publications_list.jsp




More About Wildlife Health Bulletins

Published by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, Wildlife Health Bulletins are distributed to natural resource/conservation agencies to provide and promote information exchange about significant wildlife health threats in their geographic region.

To view all issues, dating back to 2000, visit the NWHC website here.



May 24, 2012

Today's Wildlife Disease News Stories

TOP STORIES

Giant Killer Mice Decimating Rare Seabirds

On a remote island in the South Atlantic, common house mice have become unrelenting killers, consuming millions of endangered baby birds a year, a new study confirms.

...The new study, though, reveals that the petrel chicks are in constant danger from house mice, which have grown to supersize proportions since being introduced to the island 150 years ago.

...House mice have no predators on Gough Island, and in summer their numbers reach "stupendous densities—300 mice per hectare," Wanless said. (A hectare is about 2.5 acres.)

That means there are about 1.9 million mice on an island that's just 25 square miles (65 square kilometers). What's more, the mice on Gough Island now grow 50 percent bigger than normal mice, reaching up to 10 inches (27 centimeters) long, not including the tail.

As other food sources diminish in winter, the mice turn to the huge numbers of bird chicks.

National Geographic - news.national.geographic
21 May 2012
R Kaufman
Location: Gough Island



Toxic substances found in Talvivaara birds

Tissue tests conducted at the organisation’s Oulu lab showed signs of organ damage in birds found dead at a Talvivaara processing pond in Sotkamo, eastern Finland. Toxicology screening found high levels of nickel, zinc and manganese.

Fresh results from laboratory tests by the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira show that exposure to toxic metals was the cause of death among scores of birds found at the site of a Talvivaara metals recovery facility in Sotkamo earlier this month.

Tissue tests conducted at the organisation’s Oulu lab showed signs of organ damage in the birds, while toxicology screening found high levels of nickel, zinc and manganese. The bird species included laughing gulls, golden eye ducks and mallard ducks.

Evira researcher Marja Isomursu said that the effects of metal poisoning were found in the avians’ digestive tracts and lungs. She said that the birds were probably exposed to the toxic metals in the air and water surrounding the mine.

Apart from signs of poisoning, Evira found the birds in good health, with no evidence of disease or viral or bacterial infections.

Yle Uutiset - yle.fi
22 May 2012
Photo courtesy of Yle Uutiset
Location: Talvivaara, Finland - Map It



Richer parasite diversity leads to healthier frogs, says new CU study

Increases in the diversity of parasites that attack amphibians cause a decrease in the infection success rate of virulent parasites, including one that causes malformed limbs and premature death, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study.

... The new study showed when the chorus frogs were exposed to all six trematode types simultaneously, the infection success rate was 42 percent lower than for frogs exposed to only a single species of parasite. “Our results show increases in parasite diversity consistently cause a decrease in infection success by the most virulent parasite,” said Johnson of the ecology and evolutionary biology department.

The primary study results support the idea that higher biodiversity can help protect against certain diseases, but few previous studies had considered the diversity of the parasites themselves. Because many parasites compete with each other, ecological systems richer in parasites can act as a buffer against virulent pathogens. Johnson said the combination of extensive field and lab work helped strengthen the study results.

University of Colorado Boulder - www.colorado.edu
21 May 2012


Cited Journal Article
Parasite diversity and coinfection determine pathogen infection success and host fitness. PNAS. 2012; published ahead of print May 21, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.1201790109


OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Huh?! That's Interesting!
Articles Shared by Your Fellow Digest Readers