hacked by p@3t_b@y for turks

Written by Africa Science News Service Correspondent    
Sunday, 27 July 2008 

A portable device that allows researchers to humanely trap deer and other wildlife as part of field studies to control ticks and other parasites has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist.

The apparatus, developed by ARS entomologist Mat Pound in Kerrville, Texas, effectively restrains wildlife with minimal trauma to the animal. It will permit wildlife biologists and other researchers to quickly capture and handle deer, other wild exotic animals and small livestock such as sheep and goats with minimal stress to the animal.

Pound works at the ARS Tick Research Unit, part of the agency’s Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville.

Many diseases are transmitted from animals to humans by ectoparasites such as ticks. Deer and other wildlife can harbor large populations of these ectoparasites. Yet monitoring and treating significant numbers of animals–especially wildlife that are not easily captured–to control these ectoparasites remains difficult.

The new device would greatly assist in ectoparasite control efforts. It includes an open front that allows an animal to enter, while the rear end includes a door that opens and closes, effectively containing the animal without injuring it. 

The animal is immobilized when it enters, and the device is designed to gently lift the animal by its trunk so that its legs are suspended off the ground.

While this device is not yet ready for commercial farmers, it is currently being used by personnel with the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program, operated by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to reestablish and maintain eradication of cattle fever ticks and the potentially fatal Texas cattle fever, also known as bovine babesiosis, from U.S. cattle herds.

The device was constructed at the Kerrville lab, with the assistance of students from the Boerne (Texas) High School welding class.    
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more, visit: www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
 
Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 ) 

http://africasciencenews.org/asns/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=578&Itemid=1

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
BY CAROL ANN CAMPBELL
Star-Ledger Staff

A provocative new documentary shows the controversy surrounding Lyme disease remains fierce three decades after doctors first diagnosed the illness in a small Connecticut town.

The latest entry into the long-running debate comes from a California filmmaker who explores patients diagnosed with the disease, some of them crippled, paralyzed with pain and neurologically impaired.

The documentary, “Under Our Skin,” which will be screened tomorrow at the Montville Public Library, describes patients so ill they have been misdiagnosed with diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.

The film describes these patients as largely abandoned by a medical establishment that refuses to accept the existence of chronic Lyme disease.

Critics of that view, though, claim the movie distorts scientific evidence and further fuels misinformation surrounding the tick-borne illness, which is endemic in New Jersey.

“The overwhelming majority of people who have Lyme disease are cured with a conventional course of antibiotics,” said Eugene Shapiro, a Yale University pediatrician and member of the Infectious Diseases Society.

Shapiro, who is quoted in the movie, said he was told the filmmaker wanted to make a balanced film.

“This is clearly not an unbiased movie,” Shapiro said.

The filmmaker, Andy Abrahams Wilson, who grew up in Montclair, said he did not set out to create a polemical film, but that his investigation ultimately led to him side with the patients he believes are not getting treatment they need.

“I could not imagine that I tapped into thousands, hundreds of thousands, of people across the country who are not being helped and not being treated,” he said.

There were 2,432 cases of Lyme disease reported in New Jersey in 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Experts say the actual number is likely much higher.

The documentary has been shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and is being shown at screenings around the country. (Information is at underourskin.com.)

Wilson, in an interview, said he was stunned when a seriously ill friend diagnosed with ALS turned out to have Lyme. She improved with treatment. “I was just shocked that Lyme could do that and look like so many other illnesses,” he said.

Wilson said the $500,000 film was funded by two educational foundations with no ties to Lyme disease activists. He said the Turn the Corner Foundation, a Lyme disease organization, is helping to distribute the movie.

The documentary begins with the story of a woman so pained her fingers turn inward and she can barely walk. She is treated for two tick-borne illnesses, Lyme and Bartonella, and dramatically improves. The film also follows physicians brought up on charges by medical boards because they treated patients with lengthy courses of antibiotics, against standard guidelines.

The film follows a park ranger, a professional baseball player (misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease) and a ballet dancer, among others, all treated for Lyme, a spiral-shaped bacteria. The film, heavy on personal stories, also includes the major players in this enduring medical debate.

One is Alan Macdonald, a Long Island pathologist who identified connections between Lyme and plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Another is Joseph Burrascano, an East Hampton, N.Y., doctor, recently retired from practice, who treated thousands of patients.

The naysayers are present, too.

Shapiro said he could not comment on the patients in the film, but he said Lyme disease is greatly over-diagnosed, and that at least four double-blind studies failed to show the value of long-term antibiotic treatment.

“When you say to someone that they do not have chronic Lyme disease, what they hear is that, ‘You are not sick.’ That is not what we are saying. … We’re saying the cause is not Lyme disease.”

Carol Ann Campbell may be reached at ccampbell@starledger.com or (973) 392-4148.

http://www.nj.com/life/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1216701351136640.xml&coll=1

By Nick Britten
Last Updated: 12:57PM BST 16/07/2008

A schoolgirl fears she could be left paralysed after being bitten by a tick bug while walking near her home. Danielle Fisher, 13, was bitten last October and doctors struggled for six months to diagnose her condition.

They have now concluded she has Lyme Disease, a condition that can cause nerve damage, paralysis and blindness.

Yesterday her mother, Dominique, 35, who first suggested the diagnosis to doctors, said: “It’s staggering that this has been caused by one bite. Danielle is literally bedridden. She can barely walk because she is so weak and she gets tired really easily.

“This disease is a lot more common than people think and I just want to make people aware of it.”

Danielle was struck down suffering from viral meningitis-like symptoms, including severe headaches and fatigue.

Over the next few months her condition worsened as her eyes became ultra-sensitive to light and she began suffering from vertigo and shortness of breath.

She spent three months in and out of hospital and by January was bed ridden because of the pain.

Mrs Fisher said doctors diagnosed a range of possible conditions, including glandular fever and meningitis. She was even told Danielle might have a tumour.

But concerned that they were unable to properly determine what was wrong with her daughter, Mrs Fisher, an estate agent, began researching on the Internet and came across Lyme Disease, medical term borreliosis.

She said: “It just seemed to fit. There’s a lot of controversy over the treatment of the disease and over diagnosing of the disease.

“I took Danielle to see a professor in Newcastle privately and he diagnosed her with Lyme Disease and three core infections. That’s why she was so ill.

“If it hadn’t have been diagnosed Danielle could have become paralysed or blind.”

Danielle, from Whitefield, Greater Manchester, was put on several courses of anti-biotics to treat the condition and Mrs Fisher hopes she will make a full recovery, although they will have to wait for some time before getting the all clear.

She added: “If she had been diagnosed straight away it would have been a course of six weeks anti-biotics but now she’s on heavy anti-biotics. It’s gone past the blood-brain barrier.

“It might never be resolved and some people can take three years to get there.

“It’s going to take a long time to get better but hopefully being so young she will.”

The disease is spread by a bite from a tick, a tiny spider-like blood-sucking parasite which usually feeds off animals. There is no vaccine and there has been a significant rise in the number of reported cases in the last decade.

It shows a variety if symptoms and is difficult to diagnose.

Wendy Fox, Chairman and Director of BADA (Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK) said, “Danielle’s case is unfortunate because had her doctors diagnosed what she had in the first place she wouldn’t, probably, be as poorly as she is now. She could have received prompt and effective treatment.”

“Many people never present with a rash, or the rash differs to that of the classic bull’s-eye rash. There are lots of different symptoms of Lyme disease.”

She said they were putting pressure on health practitioners to be “more aware of the fact that it’s probably not as rare as portrayed in medical journals and the symptoms aren’t always the same”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2302504/Schoolgirl-fears-she-could-be-paralysed-by-tick-bite.html

Experts are warning that Lyme disease, which is spread by ticks and tick bites, is an emerging health problem in Wales, particularly in areas such as Snowdonia. There were 800 cases of Lyme disease recorded in Wales last year, but it is believed up to 2,000 people have visited their doctor with symptoms.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is now calling on the government to make Lyme disease a notifiable disease. It said that treating the disease, which can cause symptoms from a rash to blindness and paralysis, is often complicated by the fact that it can be misdiagnosed and is under-reported.

Julie Barratt, director of the CIEH in Wales, said: “Lyme disease is an emerging public health problem, and one that is of considerable significance in Wales in areas such as the Snowdonia National Park. It is important that the walkers take steps to protect themselves and that GPs are aware of the problem and recognise what they are seeing if affected persons present themselves.

“This is very much a case of prevention being better than cure – walkers should cover up to prevent the risk of bites, and should they be bitten, look for the typical ‘bullseye’ rash. They should also tell their GP that they have been walking if they begin to suffer typical symptoms so that treatment can be properly targeted.”

Lyme disease – also known as Lyme borreliosis – can cause various symptoms, the most common of which is a rash called erythema migrans. Humans become infected after being bitten by tiny hard-bodied ticks, which are infected with B. burgdorferi.

Ticks become infected when they feed on birds or animals that carry the organism in their blood.

It is the most common arthropod-transmitted infectious disease in northern Europe and the US – it was named after a cluster of cases in Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1974.

It can lead to a condition known as neuro borrelia in 15% of people bitten by infected ticks. In rare cases the disease may become chronic, with a slowly developing destruction of the nervous system, numbing, partial hearing impairment and the development of dementia.

Dr Robert Smith, a scientist at the National Public Health Service (NPHS) for Wales, said: “Since 2003, the number of people being infected has increased year on year. We have also seen a significant rise in infections known or believed to have been acquired overseas – in the US, France, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and eastern Europe. Ticks are very small – about the size of a poppy seed – and can easily be overlooked, so it is important to be aware of the risk of tick bite. Check for attached ticks regularly and remove them promptly. Infected ticks are very unlikely to transmit the organism if they are removed within 24 hours of attachment.”

Graham Jukes, chief executive of the CIEH, said: “We strongly urge the government to take greater responsibility for pest management and to raise the profile of diseases such as Lyme disease.

“Lyme disease in this country is spreading and the number of cases is rising significantly. This is a misunderstood disease that can cause untold misery to its victims. We urge the government to make this a notifiable disease.”

But an NPHS spokesman said it has an accurate picture of Lyme disease in Wales, and making it notifiable is unlikely to provide any new information.

How to reduce the risk of being bitten by a tick

Wear appropriate clothing in tick-infested areas – long sleeved shirt and long trousers tucked into socks. Light coloured fabrics are useful, as it is easier to see ticks against a light background.

Check that ticks are not brought home on clothes.

Consider using insect repellents, such as those which contain DEET.

Inspect skin frequently and remove any attached ticks. At the end of the day, check again for ticks, especially in skin folds.

Make sure that children’s head and neck areas, including scalps, are properly checked.

Check that pets do not bring unfed ticks into the home on their fur.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/14/lyme-disease-warning-to-walkers-91466-21334558/

By Bobbi Sistrunk
Thu Jul 10, 2008, 11:30 AM EDT

There has been much speculation over the collapse of bee colonies across the country. With bees accounting for approximately one third of all food pollination that occurs, some doomsday predictors say there will be no food in a few years if the bees die off. Should they be dismissed as quacks, or is there something to this theory?

The first and most reasonable assumption is that they are dying off due to widespread pesticide use. But that message doesn’t seem to be reaching the general public.

According to Paul Tukey, editor of People, Places, Plants magazine, the green crowd; organic farmers and natural lawn care proponents et al thought they had solved one problem when in 2004 diazinon was banned for use by the federal government. But what they quickly realized was that the alternative, imidacloprid, might have even more devastating affects on our health and that of the environment. The problem is, it is difficult to alert the average consumer to the potential hazards of using products containing the chemical.

Reports have been the subject of scrutiny for not divulging some information on problems with imidacloprid.

This chemical, which according to Tukey is the main ingredient in grub control products, is also used in over-the-counter flea and tick remedies for pets such as Advantage topical solution for dogs and cats. It has been identified by beekeepers as a probable cause of the bee colony collapse.

“In my opinion I think that has a lot to do with it,” Carver beekeeper Joe Miksch said. “Part of it is that it screws up their central nervous system and they can’t find their way back to the hive.”

Miksch said some bees that do make it back to the hives are exposing any new bees to it residual effects and that causes the late season and over winter die offs that beekeepers have been experiencing.

“There are a number of other factors but this is one of the bigger ones,” he said. “There’s no smoking gun. It’s a combination of a lot of things including genetic altering of plants.”

According to the Extension Toxicology Network (ETN), a pesticide information project of cooperative extension offices of Cornell University, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, and University of California at Davis, the chloro-nicotinyl insecticide is systemic and is used to control a variety of sucking pests. It causes neuronal pathway blockage eventually leading to paralysis and death in insects. It is used in powder form, as a spray and as a seed and soil treatment.

Research shows that Imidacloprid is “moderately toxic” to humans and other living creatures. Studies show that the chemical may be a deterrent to birds when used as a seed cover because some birds learn to avoid the treated seed after experiencing loss of coordination and episodes of retching. It has been shown to be toxic to upland game birds. Science shows that the chemical may be slightly “mutagenic.” Thyroid lesions have been linked with high doses of the chemical. Toxicity to fish is moderately low but products that contain imidacloprid may be very toxic to aquatic invertebrates.

According to the studies, the beekeepers are correct. The ETN Web site reads, “Imidacloprid is highly toxic to bees if used as a foliar application, especially during flowering, but is not considered a hazard to bees when used as a seed treatment.”

Tukey wrote that past president of the American Beekeepers Association David Hackenberg feels the food supply and beekeeping industry are both in “grave peril” if imidacloprid is allowed to stay on the market. Although not all researchers agree as to the extent of damage imidacloprid can cause, there is widespread concern due to improper use by homeowners who tend to saturate their properties in an effort to acquire that elusive perfect lawn and pest free shrubs and trees.

Log on to www.enn.com/agriculture/commentary/24292 www.orextoxnet.orst.edu for further information or pick up a copy of People, Places, Plants, the magazine for northeast gardeners, at your favorite garden center.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/mattapoisett/news/lifestyle/x833730106/Insect-control-products-linked-to-dead-bees

By Chris Yandell

WALKERS and campers in the New Forest are being warned to watch out for signs of a disease that can cause blindness and paralysis.

Lyme disease is spread by ticks - tiny blood-sucking insects that are prevalent in nine parts of the UK, including the Forest. Anyone walking through bracken and long grass - or even sitting down to enjoy a picnic - is at risk of catching the disease, which is on the increase. It is particularly common in areas with large numbers of deer.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is pressing the Government to tackle what it describes as a growing threat to public health.

The institute says 800 laboratory cases of Lyme disease are confirmed annually, plus up to 2,000 cases that are diagnosed and treated by family GPs.

A CIEH spokesman said: “Lyme disease is caused by infected ticks and can cause symptoms from a rash to blindness and paralysis.

“Treating the disease is often complicated by the fact that it’s frequently misdiagnosed and underreported. The spread of Lyme disease in Europe and America has signalled the need to assess the potential threat to public health.”

CIEH chief executive Graham Jukes said: “We strongly urge the Government to raise the profile of Lyme disease. This is a misunderstood disease that can cause untold misery to its victims.”

The disease is on the increase because of the warmer, wetter summers caused by global warming. In 2006 there were 768 reported cases, compared with 292 in 2003.

People walking in country areas can guard against the threat by making sure that their arms and legs are covered at all times.

Tucking the bottoms of your trousers into your socks can significantly reduce the risk of a tick attaching itself to your leg.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Clinicians have ready access to the best Lyme disease diagnostic tests available. Tests are freely available in the NHS.

“A short course of antibiotics is the usual treatment for Lyme disease and this is also freely available.

“It is for primary care trusts to ensure that appropriate services are in place to meet local needs.”

6:11pm Saturday 12th July 2008

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.2392605.0.lyme_disease_alert_in_new_forest.php

Emerging Companion Animal Disease, Vets & Veterinary Services, Veterinary Surgeons Act - British Veterinary Association Council Meeting
Main Category: Veterinary
Article Date: 11 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

The agenda for the BVA’s July Council meeting covered a range of matters of interest, not only to BVA members but to the profession as a whole, not least the presentations by BSAVA President Professor Ed Hall on a number of key companion animal issues and that by the new Defra Chief Veterinary Officer, Mr Nigel Gibbens.

Professor Hall’s presentation was divided into four categories - animal welfare, veterinary public health, research and pet travel. Under animal welfare, Council heard about suggestions for making legislation relating to dangerous dogs more effective, not least the concept of ‘deed not breed’ and the opening of the existing exemption list, as well as the lack of progress on both secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act and the publication of the Dog and Cat Codes. Insofar as the Act itself was concerned there were still problems vis a vis tail-docking, not least due to differing legislation within the devolved regions.

Other issues highlighted under the animal welfare category included owner expectations of veterinary services to match human health care, obesity, use of pets as commodities e.g. ‘rent-a-dog’, handbag dogs and ‘legal weapons’ and puppy farming not only in the UK and Ireland but also in the EU Accession states. On the veterinary public health side Professor Hall highlighted the problems of both dog bites and zoonotic diseases, both endemic and imported. The part of the presentation relating to research was, tellingly, the shortest section given how limited funding sources are for companion animal work but highlighted the need for research into epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of zoonotic and imported diseases.

The section of Professor Hall’s presentation on pet travel was intentionally the longest and probably the most thought-provoking, and he thanked his colleague, Susan Shaw, for providing much of the information. Following an outline of the current state of play with the non-commercial movement of pet animals under the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), the existing derogation for the five rabies-free states (UK, Irish Republic, Sweden, Finland and Malta), recently extended to 1 July 2010 and the challenges faced by these five states in maintaining the existing transitional arrangements Professor Hall proceeded to outline the emergence of companion animal disease in new geographical areas and the risk of these becoming endemic whether by global warming and movement of vectors, e.g. sandflies, the carriers of Leishmania, have been found in the Channel Islands, by the appearance of novel vectors, or by direct host-host transmission through bites.