Scientists unlocking mysteries of Lyme Disease; Rabies reports from Alabama, South Carolina, and Vermont; and a Coyote report from Arizona. Canada: New study claims dogs running free place wildlife and human populations at risk in remote B.C. communities; and a Coyote report from Ontario. Zoonoses: Cryptosporidiosis.

The nymphal stage of the deer tick appears to be responsible for most cases of Lyme disease in the northeastern U.S. The adult, about the size of a sesame seed, prefers to feed on white-tailed deer. Photo by Forest Wander Nature Photography. Wikipedia Commons.

National 03/15/11 infectioncontroltoday.com:  Researchers recently developed novel diagnostic tools able to distinguish between the various strains of bacteria responsible for causing Lyme disease. For more than a decade, only one strain of B. burgdorferi (Lyme bacteria) had been sequenced (mapped), and although that helped research efforts, it was not sufficient to understand the relationship between geographic variations in strains and disease characteristics. Scientists have suspected different strains may infect different parts of the body, causing different symptoms.  The recent completion of the genome sequencing of 13 additional isolates will greatly contribute to the improved understanding of the origins and effects of Lyme disease. Described as a “superb discovery tool,” Journal of Bacteriology 2-2011, sequencing will also provide a more solid foundation for detection, diagnostic, and prevention strategies. The study was led by Dr. Steven Schutzer, Dr. Claire Fraser-Liggett, and Dr. Sherwood Casjens.  The Lyme Disease Association (LDA) says it is encouraged that this latest accomplishment will provide a more in-depth understanding of Lyme disease, which in turn will lead to improved patient care. LDA funding often helps to start a project or complements federal funding such as that from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which was the case here. LDA continues on its mission, having raised over $ 5 million to date for Lyme-related research and education, with 100 percent of incoming funds slated for research going directly to projects such as this latest genome sequencing effort.

Alabama 03/16/11 al.com: by Ben Flanagan – Federal agricultural and state health officials are increasing surveillance after finding two raccoons positive for rabies in Autauga and Elmore counties.  The raccoons were in a typically rabies-free area, which is leading the USDA Wildlife Service and the Alabama Department of Public Health to conduct active surveillance for rabid creatures in the area.  The surveillance will concentrate on areas including Prattville, Marbury, Pine Level, Autaugaville, Posey Crossroads, Booth and Wadsworth, according to The Prattville Progress.  According to Dr. Dee W. Jones, Alabama State Public Health veterinarian, people should avoid any wild animal that is acting strangely. This includes a normally nocturnal animal such as a raccoon or fox seen during the day, which is unusually docile, or which approaches humans.  “This active surveillance should not be alarming to anyone,” Jones said in an Alabama Department of Public Health press release. “Rather it is just a reminder of the importance of vaccinating animals and pets.”  Every year the state health lab tests around 2,300 animal specimens resulting in approximately 80 positive cases, almost always in wildlife.

Arizona 03/15/11 kpho.com: by Cara Liu – Wildlife officers are investigating a possible coyote problem in North Phoenix.   A spokesperson for Arizona Game and Fish said officers are looking into several reports of coyotes “exhibiting bold behavior” in recent weeks. One of the reports is of a coyote charging at a boy.  Kim Smith said her 10-year-old Maltese mix, Muffin, was killed by a coyote Sunday afternoon. She had been hosting a housewarming party at new home near 12th Street and Greenway when she realized Muffin was missing.   “I was looking around there calling her name and that’s when I saw a coyote (just beyond my backyard),” said Smith. “He didn’t even run away from me and at that point, I knew. Something in my heart told me he’d gotten my dog.”   Muffin’s body was eventually found in a neighbor’s yard.

South Carolina 03/15/11 thetandd.com: by Dionne Gleaton – Citing confirmed cases of the rabies virus, Sidney Goff Jr., an environmental health manager at the Orangeburg County Health Department, said getting rabies vaccinations is very critical.  “Locally so far this year, the rabies virus has been confirmed in two different raccoon species. These cases have resulted in extended quarantines of pets. Having pets inoculated as required by law is protection for pets, pet owners and everyone else,” Goff said.  Current South Carolina law requires every cat, dog and ferret to be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. The owner of a domestic pet that has not been vaccinated may be found guilty of a misdemeanor and fined up to $ 500, or imprisoned up to 30 days.  The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reports that annually, approximately 400 South Carolinians undergo preventative treatment after being bitten by a rabid or suspected rabid animal.

Vermont 03/16/11 seattlepi.com: Bennington – A Vermont neighborhood is being stalked by a renegade gray squirrel.  Several people in Bennington say they’ve been attacked by a squirrel over the last few weeks.  Kevin McDonald tells the Bennington Banner he was shoveling snow when the squirrel jumped onto him. He says he threw the animal off, but it twice jumped back onto him. A game warden says there have been other reports, too.  One woman is being treated for exposure to rabies, but Vermont Public Health Veterinarian Robert Johnson says there’s never been a case of a squirrel passing rabies to a human.  Johnson says it’s possible the squirrel was raised as a pet and lost its fear of humans. He says the squirrel might “go ballistic” when it encounters people it doesn’t recognize.

Canada:

British Columbia 03/14/11 canada.com: by Judith Lavoie – Victoria –

Canadian Grey Wolf.

Diseases, some of which can be lethal, are being passed between dogs, wolves and people in remote B.C communities where there is a dearth of veterinary care, a new study has found.  The report by researchers from Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the University of Calgary, which was published in the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research, tested dogs in five remote communities in British Columbia — Hartley Bay, Klemtu, Ocean Falls, Bella Bella and Oweekeno.  The diseases could threaten wolf populations and pose a human health hazard, the study found.

Researchers found that dogs that are often allowed to run free and come into contact with wolves and bears have been sharing more than scent messages with their wild relatives, and diseases are being transmitted between populations.  “Uncontrolled disease in domestic animals is an issue of animal welfare,” said one of the study’s authors, Paul Paquet, Raincoast senior scientist.  “Some of the diseases we detected, notably parvovirus and distemper, can be lethal and have been linked with population declines in wildlife.”  Humans, and especially children, who come into close contact with dogs are also at risk, said lead author Heather Bryan,

Black bear.

Raincoast biologist and doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary.

Diseases identified that could infect people include leptospiral bacteria that can cause kidney or liver diseases, water-borne parasites giardia and cryptosporidium that cause diarrhea, toxocara canis, a roundworm that can cause tissue damage in the eyes, and the tapeworm echinococcus — found in dogs and wolves — that forms cysts in organs.  A canine respiratory virus that was only recently identified in North America was also found in some of the communities, Bryan said.

“It’s amazing how quickly diseases can be transmitted . . . A big part of it is making people aware of these risks and they really need regular veterinary services,” Bryan said. “Dogs need to be dewormed and vaccinated regularly to prevent these diseases.”  Scientists were helped in their research by the Big Heart Rescue Society, a group that goes to some of the remote communities every year and provides vaccinations and medical care.  “But they really need more support for that kind of program and for services like sterilization, which, at the moment, is fairly intermittent,” Bryan said.

In Oweekeno, several organizations got together to organize a sterilization clinic and, in some communities, Big Heart flies dogs to Vancouver for sterilization and then flies them back, but more is needed, Bryan said.  “Perhaps more awareness and recognition of the importance of the issue might help,” she said.  Judith Smits, University of Calgary scientist and an author of the report, said data from the study can be used to monitor future disease threats.  “Monitoring disease is important because rapid expansion of human activity in coastal B.C. could introduce new pathogens or change the dynamics of existing pathogens in ways that would affect dogs, people or vulnerable wildlife,” she said.

Ontario 03/16/11 wingham.com: by Pat Bolen – At the March 9 Huron County council meeting, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek told the council the county coyote problem is continuing to grow and noted a full-grown cow had been killed by coyotes in Dungannon recently.   “They’re not going away,” said Van Diepenbeek.  Warden Neil Vincent said in response to a recently provincial environmental bill of rights, which is in a 45 day comment period until April 11, he met with animal control officer Bob Trick, who suggested one solution to the coyotes might be a dual bounty system for different times of the year. But Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson replied he didn’t favour such a system as it would be tough to pick a date and wouldn’t be fair to farmers or hunters.  Dowson added that at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference, he hadn’t been impressed with Ministry of Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey, who he said didn’t try to answer any questions and appeared not to have any strong feelings on any of the issues.

Zoonoses:

Cryptosporidiosis:  A diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites, Cryptosporidium, that can live in the intestine of humans and animals and is passed in the stool of an infected person or animal. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as “Crypto.” The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants. During the past 2 decades, Crypto has become recognized as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease (recreational water and drinking water) in humans in the United States. The parasite is found in every region of the United States and throughout the world. 

Cryptosporidium lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. An infected person or animal sheds Crypto parasites in the stool. Millions of Crypto germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. Shedding of Crypto in the stool begins when the symptoms begin and can last for weeks after the symptoms (e.g., diarrhea) stop. You can become infected after accidentally swallowing the parasite. Cryptosporidium may be found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals. Crypto is not spread by contact with blood.

(For more information about crypto go to http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/gen_info/index.html )

About these ads