Penguins die following malaria attack.

The Wiltshire attraction has announced that 24 Humboldt penguins passed away due to an outbreak of Avian Malaria in the colony.The disease was passed on by a mosquito,Avian Malaria has chronic side affects and "heartbroken" zookeepers are battling hard to save the remaining ten birds. The Humboldt penguin is originally from South America, with the breed normally found around coastal areas of Peru and Chile.Darren Beasley Head of Animal Operations at the safari park says it's a difficult time for all concerned: "Although our penguins are a tough bunch this has subsequently led to problems with the remaining group, leading to a very distressing time for everyone involved in their care. Our team of keepers are absolutely devastated - they have looked after the penguins each and every day, with most of the penguins having been hand-reared by the team since hatching." "Despite the best efforts of our team and with expert advice from other collections around the country who have previously experienced the same tragedy, we have still been unable to save a large amount of these incredible and popular aquatic birds." more

Genetically engineered bacteria prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria.

According to a study published by PNAS,the genetically engineered bacteria were 98 percent effective in reducing the malaria parasite burden in mosquitoes. The study shows that genetically modified bacterium commonly found in the mosquito's midgut, this parasite that causes malaria in people does not survive in mosquitoes carrying the modified bacterium. The bacterium, Pantoea agglomerans, was modified to secrete proteins toxic to the malaria parasite, but the toxins do not harm the mosquito or humans. The aim of the study is to prevent the mosquito from spreading malaria to people,malaria kills over 800,000 people every year many of which are children. The genetically engineered P. agglomerans strains inhibited development of the deadliest human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei by up to 98 percent within the mosquito. The proportion of mosquitoes carrying parasites (prevalence) decreased by up to 84 percent.

Why mosquitoes prefer to bite humans.

A study published in the PLOS Genetics shows that mosquitoes show a preference for humans because of a chromosomal arrangement,so if the genetic basis of bite is eliminated or transferred to other breeds than the scourge of malaria will be erased. The rates of malaria transmission depend on whether mosquitoes bite humans or animals, and whether they rest after that meal in an area where they will encounter pesticides. Anopheles arabiensis,the species of mosquito the primary vector of malaria in east Africa due to its broader host range and the frequent use of pesticide-treated bed nets, which kill other species that live closely with humans. The use of population genomics has established an association between human feeding and a specific chromosomal rearrangement in the major east African malaria vector. The use of genetics to better understand and track mosquito behavior will improve local control strategies and this knowledge will also promote the elimination of malaria's spread, such as genetically modifying mosquitoes to prefer cattle over people. The researchers sequenced the genomes of 23 human-fed and 25 cattle-fed mosquitoes collected indoors and outdoors from the Kilobero Valley in Tanzania. They identified a genetic component that contributes to the mosquito's host choice but not its choice of resting place.

The war on routine use of antibiotics in food animals moves to eateries .

The threat of antibiotic resistance is so real, world leaders are meeting and deliberating on ways to stop the routine use of antibiotics in farm animals to ensure food safety alongside protect public health and animal welfare as well. The risks associated with routine use of antibiotics during production is a major source of concern because of the myriad of problems linked to this practice, consumers are on the list of those advocating the ban of antibiotics . Roughly 80% of the antibiotics sold in the United States are used on animals, the Natural Resources Defense Council noted, explaining that the drugs are frequently used to increase growth in animals and help them survive in dirty, crowded conditions. An annual Chain Reaction report scored Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts Fs , a collaboration between groups including the Consumers Union (a division of Consumer Reports) and the Center for Food Safety. The report details the use of antibiotic-free meat and poultry at 25 top chain restaurants. Other restaurants that received Fs included Chili's, Domino's, Olive Garden, Applebee's, Denny's, KFC and IHOP. The report notes that Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts do not serve any meat produced without routine use of antibiotics and were not fully transparent about their practices.When animals are giving low-level doses day after day culminates in high doses of these drugs in animal tissue ,these intensive use of antibiotics in animal agriculture is a key culprit in the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, posing a serious threat to human health. Consumers are willing to pay more for antibiotic-free meat, according to investigation of poultry prices in Denmark after the ban of antibiotics revealed that farmers experienced no net cost changes because the price of extra livestock feed was cushioned by the savings from not purchasing antibiotics.Read

Emerging pathogens in meat and poultry.

Meat and poultry are among the leading vehicles for foodborne illnesses around the world and are responsible for sickening million of people worldwide.Outbreaks from foodborne diseases are widely reported and are responsible for several recalls in several countries. 

 These pathogens cause these infections are typically zoonotic and can be introduced at any point along the food chain,starting from when the animal is raised, to the day of slaughter and beyond, up to the processing to consumption. 

 A significant number of pathogens can be transmitted to humans through meat and poultry, and the risks have changed over time. The public health threat posed by some pathogens has diminished, while others have persisted for decades.

 New, often more virulent strains of existing disease agents continue to emerge, along with previously unknown pathogens such as the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) while some emerging pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, have eventually developed into major food safety concerns. 

 The food safety measures to allay public health concerns must be adaptable systems that are able to detect, assess, and control both emerging and established risks. continue

Insecticide treatment of cattle to kill sand flies and combat leishmaniasis.

A research published in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases shows that spraying insecticides on the cattle will prevent the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis as the causative sand flies will be destroyed . An estimated 500,000 human infections and 50,000 deaths annually, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the second most prevalent parasitic killer, after malaria. Leishmania parasites are transmitted through the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. Combating the insects by treating cattle with fipronil, will substantially reduce VL in areas where people and cattle live in close proximity. Fipronil is an insecticide with a long half-life. The insecticide remains in the system of animals for several weeks to several months, dependening on the concentration administered. Fipronil does not have any adverse effect onb mammals at low concentrations, but when fed to cattle at low concentrations in drug form, can kill adult blood-feeding sand flies and sand fly larvae that feed on the cattle feces. The use of Fipronil to control sand flies will last for several months following a single treatment,coupled with the practice of indoor spraying. Female sand flies primarily bite humans and cattle especially at night, and after sand fly eggs hatch, the larvae feed on organic matter, the most abundant source being cow patties. The means of control of sand flies involves indoor residual spraying with pyrethroid insecticides, but exposure is normally possible in rural dwellers that sleep outside especially during the hot months.

A patch that delivers drug, gene, and light-based therapy to tumor sites.

Its estimated that one in 20 people will develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime, making it the third-most prevalent form of the disease in the U.S. In Europe, it is the second-most common form of cancer. The most widely used first line of treatment is surgery, but this can result in incomplete removal of the tumor. Cancer cells can be left behind, potentially leading to recurrence and increased risk of metastasis. Indeed, while many patients remain cancer-free for months or even years after surgery, tumors are known to recur in up to 50 percent of cases. Conventional therapies used to prevent tumors recurring after surgery do not sufficiently differentiate between healthy and cancerous cells, leading to serious side effects. A research published in the journal Nature Materials shows how researchers at MIT describe an adhesive patch that can stick to the tumor site, either before or after surgery, to deliver a triple-combination of drug, gene, and photo (light-based) therapy. The patch has a triple combination therapy locally at the tumor site, and this will increase the efficacy of the treatment. The general approach to cancer treatment is the use of systemic, therapies such as chemotherapy drugs, but the lack of specificity of anticancer drugs means they produce undesired side effects when systemically administered.This coupled with the fact that only a small portion of the drugs reaches the tumor site makes this approach ineffective. The researchers made a triple-therapy hydrogel patch, which can be used to treat tumors locally. This is particularly effective as it can treat not only the tumor itself but any cells left at the site after surgery, preventing the cancer from recurring or metastasizing in the future. Firstly, the patch contains gold nanorods, which heat up when near-infrared radiation is applied to the local area. This is used to thermally kill or destroy, the tumor.These nanorods are also equipped with a chemotherapy drug, which is released when they are heated, to target the tumor and its surrounding cells. Finally, gold nanospheres that do not heat up in response to the near-infrared radiation are used to deliver RNA, or gene therapy to the site, in order to silence an important oncogene in colorectal cancer. Oncogenes are genes that can cause healthy cells to transform into tumor cells. The researchers envision that a clinician could remove the tumor, and then apply the patch to the inner surface of the colon, to ensure that no cells that are likely to cause cancer recurrence remain at the site. As the patch degrades, it will gradually release the various therapies. The patch can also serve as a neoadjuvant, a therapy designed to shrink tumors prior to their resection. When the treatment was done in mice, 40 % of cases where the patch was not applied after tumor removal, the cancer returned. When the patch was applied after surgery, the treatment resulted in complete remission,and even when the tumor was not removed, the triple-action therapy alone was enough to destroy it.