AVIAN MALARIA DETECTED IN NEW ENGLAND LOON.

A New England loon has died from avian malaria, according to researchers who believe this to be the first known case of a loon dying of the tropical disease. Loons can live for decades, so losing any adult loon to a new cause casts a long shadow says John Cooley, a senior biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee. Finding a new cause like this malaria strain, raises a real cause for concern. This indicates a new type of stressor associated with climate change. Avian malaria is carried by certain species of tropical mosquitoes. There is no evidence that avian malaria parasites are harmful to humans, according to Mark Pokras, professor emeritus of wildlife medicine at Tufts University. The world is changing, and the distribution of mosquitoes is changing for a whole variety of reasons,. Tropical mosquitoes that don’t occur here now are going to move farther north, and so are biting flies and ticks and a whole bunch of lovely parasites. The dead loon was spotted by campers at Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge and quickly retrieved by a refuge employee. The bird, specifically a “common loon,” was then put on ice and brought to the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Durham for examination. The examination was done by Inga Sidor, a New Hampshire state senior veterinary pathologist and she wasn’t even considering malaria to be the cause of death. Although she previously had detected malaria parasites in captive birds, such as penguins kept in zoos, but she had never seen malaria in a wild bird. At necropsy the spleen was really enlarged and tissue looked wet referred to as edema. Sidor then started to look for avian malaria, a disease that attacks red blood cells, affecting the vascular system. “These are tiny, tiny little parasites,” Sidor said. “They fit into a single cell, so you really have to have a body that’s in good condition to find them — and you have to be looking for them.” Having such a fresh specimen was crucial to the discovery. Sidor found widespread malaria parasites in the bird’s brain and heart, which leads her to believe the bird died either from a heart attack or cerebral paralysis. Furthermore, the degree of the infection leads Sidor to believe the disease was transmitted to the loon in New Hampshire, not when it migrated south to winter off the coast of mid-Atlantic states. After Sidor’s examination, the loon was inspected by Ellen Martinsen of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, who discovered that the bird contained not one but two different malaria parasite species — an unusual find. Read more here;http://bangordailynews.com/2016/04/08/outdoors/loon-dies-of-tropical-disease-stirring-talk-of-climate-change/

BACTERIAL ENTERITIS.(BE)

Elanco Animal Health recently released findings from its fourth Bacterial Enteritis Global Impact Assessment (BEGIA), providing interesting insights into ongoing trends of a disease that continues to have important impact on our industry. Diarrhoea and wet litter continue to be the signs most often associated with emerging cases of Bacterial enteritis. The 15 years of survey data shows that prevalence and economic loss continue, while early intervention becomes a more favored strategy as the years progress.This year's results confirm those from past surveys: BE continues to be very prevalent and affect productivity and profitability. However, the 2015 survey also found some interesting new trends in treatment initiation, perhaps as a way to mitigate these effects. Diarrhea and wet litter continue to be the signs most often associated with emerging cases of BE (as found in 2005 and 2010), and necropsy and clinical observation are still the preferred methods for diagnosing BE. High percentages of respondents associate coccidiosis with increased prevalence and severity of BE . Most respondents agree that preventing coccidiosis reduces issues at processing .The vast majority of respondents agree that BE prevalence and severity increase when coccidiosis is present. The respondents were asked to look at photos of intestinal lesions and assess at what stage of illness they believe economic damage was likely to occur. About half of respondents said they believe economic losses begin at the earliest stage, an increase of nearly 5% compared to 2010 .Survey participants also seem to be trending toward earlier flock treatment, with most indicating they would initiate treatment when 5-20% of the flock is infected (Figure 8). In 2010, respondents favoured treatment when 20-30% of the flock was infected. Treatment options remain the same;More than 75% of the survey participants indicated that their end-customers (retailers, slaughterhouses, exporters, etc.) preferred a preventive approach to managing disease. When it comes to preventing BE, respondents find water treatment and growth-promoting feed additives the most effective options, this trend that hasn't changed since 2010 . story credit; World poultry.