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Scwds Briefs: Volume 19, Number 2 (July 2003)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• CWD Surveillance in the Southeast: The discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild deer remote from the historic endemic area in Colorado and Wyoming has fueled concerns among wildlife agencies over the distribution of the disease.
• Monkeypox Introduced with Exotic Pets: During June and July 2003, 72 suspected human cases of monkeypox were reported in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin (37 confirmed).
• SARS: In February 2003, a new coronaviral disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) gained international attention as it spread to 32 countries around the world.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife …

West Nile Virus And Wildlife Health, Peter P. Marra, Sean M. Griffing, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The West Nile Virus and Wildlife Health Workshop, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, National Audubon Society, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, was held February 5–7, 2003, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. The event was attended by more than 100 scientists, who heard 29 speakers and participated in strategy discussions during the 2-day meeting. The main focus of the conference was the present and future impact of West Nile virus on wildlife populations. Talks and discussions emphasized how basic research, public health, and land management can contribute to our understanding of the disease’s impact …

Kentucky River Basin: Unified Long-Range Water Resources Plan. Executive Summary, Lindell E. Ormsbee, Malissa Mcalister

KWRRI Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Antibodies To Neospora Caninum, Sarcocystis Neurona, And Toxoplasma Gondii In Wild Horses From Central Wyoming, J. P. Dubey, S.M. Mitchell, J.K. Morrow, J.C. Rhyan, L.M. Stewart, D.E. Granstrom, S. Romand, P. Thulliez, W.J. Saville, D.S. Lindsay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora caninum, N. hughesi, and Toxoplasma gondii are 4 related coccidians considered to be associated with encephalomyelitis in horses. The source of infection for N. hughesi is unknown, whereas opossums, dogs, and cats are the definitive hosts for S. neurona, N. caninum, and T. gondii, respectively. Seroprevalence of these coccidians in 276 wild horses from central Wyoming outside the known range of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was determined. Antibodies to T. gondii were found only in 1 of 276 horses tested with the modified agglutination test using 1: 25, 1:50, …

Paleopharmacology And Pollen: Theory, Method, And Application, Sérgio A.M. Chaves, Karl J. Reinhard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Parasitism was a universal human condition. Because of this, people developed herbal medicines to treat parasites as part of their pharmacopoeias. We propose that it is possible to recover evidence of medicinal plants from archaeological sites and link their use to specific health conditions. This is a multidisciplinary approach that must involve at least paleoethnobotanists, archaeoparasitologists, paleopathologists, and pharmacologists.

Inca Expansion And Parasitism In The Lluta Valley: Preliminary Data, Santoro Calagero, Karl J. Reinhard, Sheila D. Vinton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Assessing the impact of cultural change on parasitism has been a central goal in archaeoparasitology. The influence of civilization and the development of empires on parasitism has not been evaluated. Presented here is a preliminary analysis of the change in human parasitism associated with the Inca conquest of the Lluta Valley in Northern Chile. Changes in parasite prevalence are described. It can be seen that the change in life imposed on the inhabitants of the Lluta Valley by the Incas caused an increase in parasitism.

Parasite Remains In Archaeological Sites, Françoise Bouchet, Niéde Guidon, Katharina Dittmar, Stephanie Harter, Luiz F. Ferreira, Sérgio A.M. Chaves, Karl J. Reinhard, Adauto Araújo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Organic remains can be found in many different environments. They are the most significant source for paleoparasitological studies as well as for other paleoecological reconstruction. Preserved paleoparasitological remains are found from the driest to the moistest conditions. They help us to understand past and present diseases and therefore contribute to understanding the evolution of present human sociality, biology, and behavior. In this paper, the scope of the surviving evidence will be briefly surveyed, and the great variety of ways it has been preserved in different environments will be discussed. This is done to develop to the most appropriated techniques to …

A Comprehensive Review Of The Ecological And Human Social Effects Of Artificial Feeding And Baiting Of Wildlife, L. Dunkley, M.R.L. Cattet

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

In recent years, events within Canada and the United States have drawn attention to potential negative consequences of feeding and baiting wild animals, especially enhanced transmission of infectious diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. This report was prepared to gather available science-based information on the ecological and human social effects of artificial feeding and baiting of wildlife into one readily accessible document. The contracting agencies, Parks Canada and Saskatchewan Environment, recognize that an objective review of existing literature may help to answer questions and concerns within and outside the agencies, and help to guide subsequent decision-making concerning …

Enterobius Vermicularis: Ancient Dna From North And South American Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl J. Reinhard, Adauto Araújo, Luiz F. Ferreira, Ana Carolina P. Vicente

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A molecular paleoparasitological diagnostic approach was developed for Enterobius vermicularis. Ancient DNA was extracted from 27 coprolites from archaeological sites in Chile and USA. Enzymatic amplification of human mtDNA sequences confirmed the human origin. We designed primers specific to the E. vermicularis 5S ribosomal RNA spacer region and they allowed reproducible polymerase chain reaction identification of ancient material. We suggested that the paleoparasitological microscopic identification could accompany molecular diagnosis, which also opens the possibility of sequence analysis to understand parasite-host evolution.

Parasitism, The Diversity Of Life, And Paleoparasitology, Adauto Araújo, Ana M. Jansen, Françoise Bouchet, Karl J. Reinhard, Luiz F. Ferreira

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The parasite-host-environment system is dynamic, with several points of equilibrium. This makes it difficult to trace the thresholds between benefit and damage, and therefore, the definitions of commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis become worthless. Therefore, the same concept of parasitism may encompass commensalism, mutualism, and symbiosis. Parasitism is essential for life. Life emerged as a consequence of parasitism at the molecular level, and intracellular parasitism created evolutive events that allowed species to diversify. An ecological and evolutive approach to the study of parasitism is presented here. Studies of the origin and evolution of parasitism have new perspectives with the development of …

General Guidelines For The Establishment & Evaluation Of Invasive Species Early Detection & Rapid Response Systems

National Invasive Species Council

Preventing the introduction of invasive species is the first line of defense against invasions. However, even the best prevention efforts will not stop all invasive species introductions. Early detection and rapid response (ED&RR) efforts increase the likelihood that invasions will be addressed successfully while populations are still localized and population levels are not beyond that which can be contained and eradicated. Once populations are widely established, all that might be possible is the partial mitigation of negative impacts. In addition, the costs associated with ED&RR efforts are typically far less than those of long-term invasive species management programs.

The charge …

Indirect Evidence Of Density-Dependent Population Regulation In Aponomma Hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), An Ectoparasite Of Reptiles, Andrew J. Tyre, C. Michael Bull, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Neil Chilton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The extent to which density-dependent processes regulate natural populations is the subject of an ongoing debate. We contribute evidence to this debate showing that density-dependent processes influence the population dynamics of the ectoparasite Aponomma hydrosauri (Acari: Ixodidae), a tick species that infests reptiles in Australia. The first piece of evidence comes from an unusually long-term dataset on the distribution of ticks among individual hosts. If density-dependent processes are influencing either host mortality or vital rates of the parasite population, and those distributions can be approximated with negative binomial distributions, then general host– parasite models predict that the aggregation coefficient of …

The Emergence Of Major Avian Diseases In North America: West Nile Virus And More, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Some major diseases of wild birds have emerged dramatically in North America recently due in part to the rapid global movement of animals and pathogens and major changes in the size, quality, and continuity of natural habitats. These diseases include invasive pathogens, emergence of new disease agents or syndromes, and reemergence of some established diseases. A prominent example is West Nile virus that invaded North America, became easily established, and has expanded throughout the continent within 4 years. A number of factors have influenced the frequency of occurrence, the variety of species affected, and the geographical extent of these emergent …

Oral Rabies Vaccination: Reducing Economic Uncertainty Via Response Surface Analysis, Ray T. Sterner, Matthew A. Kling, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Dennis Slate

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Economic uncertainty surrounds the distribution of Raboral V-RG7 as an oral rabies vaccine (ORV) bait for the containment or elimination of raccoon-variant rabies in the United States. This paper describes a costs-savings model of ORV. It also describes Excel XP7 code that was prepared to compute potential net savings (NS) and benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) associated with Raboral V-RG7 bait distributions. Currently, baits and bait distributions are relatively expensive; individual baits are produced at a cost of $1.27 for federal use and typically dispensed at >75 baits/km2. Distribution is estimated at $8.62/km², $15.80/km², and $33.30/km² for …

Mycobacterial Diseases In Wildlife, Gary W. Witmer, Thomas Deliberto, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Peter Butchko

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mycobacterium infections occur in numerous wildlife species worldwide and this bacterial genus can also cause disease in humans and livestock. Two Mycobacterium species and one subspecies that infect wildlife are important from a wildlife damage management perspective. Mycobacterium avium, avian tuberculosis, is a ubiquitous and cosmopolitan disease of wild and domestic birds. Wild and domestic ruminants are host to M. avium paratuberculosis, also known as Johne’s disease. Finally, Mycobaterium bovis, bovine tuberculosis, is primarily associated with domestic and wild bovines and ungulates, but also infects many other species of mammals. Eradicating these diseases from wildlife populations is …

A Review Of Pathogens Of Agricultural And Human Health Interest Found In Blackbirds, Larry Clark, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Because of their numbers and close association with humans and agriculture. the role of blackbirds in disease transmission has been of concern. Unfortunately fear systematic and quantitative studies have been carried out that bear on this issue. We review the extant literature on zoonoses and pathogens of agricultural concern where there is documented evidence for the involvement of blackbirds and starlings. It is clear that blackbirds can exacerbate levels of risk for failures in agricultural biosecurity and human health. To what degree these levels of risk are raised is largely unknown and should be the focus of future studies because …

A Review Of Pathogens Of Agricultural And Human Health Interest Found In Canada Geese, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The roles that waterfowl in general, and Canada geese in particular, have in the dissemination and transmission of viral and bacterial diseases of human or agricultural importance are covered in this review. In addition to the biological information about the etiology of the disease, economic impacts and zoonotic potential of viral and bacterial pathogens are considered. In most cases existing evidence suggests the importance of waterfowl in disease dissemination and transmission, however, definitive data are often lacking, indicating the need for more directed studies before quantitative risk assessments can be made. Finally, a brief assessment of management options is considered.

Feral Swine---Are They A Disease Threat To Livestock In The United States?, Gary W. Witmer, Robert B. Sanders, Arnold C. Taft

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine populations provide both benefits and liabilities to citizens of the United States. Their expanding range and increasing densities, however, have raised concern over the adverse environmental and agricultural effects and the increased risk of disease transmission between feral swine and livestock. We discuss the role of feral swine in the transmission of wildlife diseases and, in particular, in diseases of national significance to the livestock industry. We also discuss available management tools and strategies for reducing feral swine populations, minimizing damage or disease occurrences and eradicating populations when deemed appropriate. Finally, we note areas of research that may …

Review Of "The Health Of Nations: Infectious Disease, Environmental Change, And Their Effects On National Security And Development," By Andrew T. Price-Smith, Andrew Mierins

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "Andrew T. Price-Smith, author of The Health of Nations: Infectious Disease, Environmental Change, and Their Effects on National Security and Development, provides a well documented and reasoned analysis of the need for world leaders, including the United States, to place the threat of infectious disease on the front burner of consideration when shaping both national and international policy. Professor Price-Smith has provided both empirical data and historical analysis to support the impassioned plea for this natural threat to be taken seriously. The book is geared toward the academic community and policy analysts; however, other professionals not involved in these …

Pig Industry Biosecurity Plan - March 2003 - Protecting The Pig Industry Is Everyone's Business, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Farmnote 71/2002 - Farm Biosecurity

Farmnote 43/2002 - Biosecurity in the livestock industries

StockGuard has been initiated to develop a series of biosecurity plans for the animal industries in Western Australia. Through StockGuard, representatives from the animal industries have been working with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture to identify potential threats to each of the animal industries and to develop action plans detailing how these threats can be managed.

The overall purpose of StockGuard is to identify threats to the animal industries and to develop effective ways to minimise the potential impact of these threats.

If an emergency pig …

The U.S. And Mexico Sin Fronteras - Without Borders: Sustainable Development From A Local Perspective, Paulette Stenzel

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 18, Number 2 (July 2002)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• Chronic wasting disease (CWD) recently has been identified in more free-ranging and captive cervids at additional locations in New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
• An outbreak of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus apparently has been contained in domestic poultry in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
• West Nile Virus Continues to Spread
• Update on Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Wildlife
• The accurate diagnosis of epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) in white-tailed deer
• In June of 2002, the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund made a contribution to help support SCWDS' continuing investigations of avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM).
• …

Transboundary Watersheds: Changing Environments And Streams Of Thought [Abstract], Roger S. Pulwarty, Robert Varady, Leah Stauber

Allocating and Managing Water for a Sustainable Future: Lessons from Around the World (Summer Conference, June 11-14)

2 pages.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 18, Number 1 (April 2002) -- Special Cwd Issue

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

SPECIAL CWD ISSUE

• Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
• TSEs of Domestic Animals and Humans
• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
• Chronic Wasting Disease 101
• CWD Epidemiology
• CWD Diagnosis
• CWD Surveillance, Doing the Numbers
• CWD Management
• CWD in Captive Cervids
• CWD in Wild Deer and Elk
• Public Health Concerns About CWD

Scwds Briefs: Volume 17, Number 4 (January 2002)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• CWD News from Nebraska and Kansas
• Tropical Bont Tick Threat: Amblyomma variegatum
• Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) was confirmed by SCWDS diagnosticians in two dead bald eagles and is suspected in another four decomposed eagle carcasses recovered since mid-November at Clarks Hill Lake along the Georgia/South Carolina border.
• The Office International des Epipoozties (OIE) agreed to restore the United Kingdom's Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) free status without vaccination for the purposes of international trade.
• Raccoon Roundworms – Public Health Update: Baylisascaris procyonis
• CSF Control Targets Wild Boars: Classical swine fever (CSF), also called hog cholera, is …

Health Promotion Evaluation And Needs Assessment In The Transylvania Region Of Romania, Bryan C. Byrd

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since the revolution of 1989, Romania has been undergoing wide ranging changes affecting all aspects of the country including health promotion. As common to many newly independent states (NIS) the changes in socio-economics, on-going poverty, unemployment status, and the overall culture shock of political transition, has resulted in health characteristics and indicators improving in some areas but suffering in others. This project was initiated as a descriptive study of the health promotion practices of Transylvania, Romania. The goal of the research was to describe and discover the philosophical practices driving current Romanian health promotion practices, as well as to conduct …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 17, Number 3 (October 2001)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• Biosecurity Alert
• The United Kingdom appears to be near success in eradicating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
• USDA declares chronic wasting disease CWD emergency in captive elk.
• CWD Calamity in Colorado: Approximately 1,300 animals in seven Colorado captive elk herds currently are under quarantine because chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been diagnosed in or traced to the herds.
• Further Spread of West Nile virus (WNV)
• Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus was isolated from the brain of a wild white-tailed deer from Houston County, Georgia. Togaviridae, Culiseta melanura
• Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a severe neurological …

The Probe, Issue 218 – September/October 2001

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Regional Directors Address NADCA's Future -- Chad Richardson & Sam Linhart
South Carolina State Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was justified in issuing permits to kill 200 deer in an effort to control the white-tailed deer population of the Sea Pines Plantation (SPP) on Hilton Head Island.
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is claiming credit for a September 9 firebombing at a Tucson, Arizona, McDonald's restaurant.
Biologists from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (DFWR) have begun using "hair traps" to get an estimate of the state's black bear population.
A …

Territorial Defense By Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Who, How, Where, When, And Why, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Territorial defense and maintenance are an important facet of the social ecology of most carnivore species. From January 1991 to June 1993, we observed 54 coyotes (Canis latrans) for 2507 h in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, during which we observed 112 instances of territory defense. The identity of the coyotes involved in challenging and evicting intruding animals was known. Alpha coyotes were most likely to be involved in territorial evictions of intruding animals, followed by beta individuals; pups participated little in territory defense. Coyotes evicting intruders generally had a numerical advantage when challenging the intruders. Territory-defense rates were …

Disease Emergence In Birds: Challenges For The Twenty-First Century, Milton Friend, Robert G. Mclean, F. Joshua Dein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) conjunctivitis is an example of the rapid geographic spread that can result from disease emergence in naive populations. That event was neither novel nor transient relative to its occurrence or effects. Disease emergence and reemergence are hallmarks of the latter part of the twentieth century (Center for Disease Control 1994, Levins et al. 1994, DaSilva and Laccarino 1999, Gratz 1999). Current examples involving domestic animals include the problems in Europe with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or ‘‘mad cow disease’’) (Brown 2001) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) (Kitching 1999). Human health has been affected by diseases caused …