Local
CWD hits Houston County
With deer hunting season underway, there is mandatory and voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance testing in designated areas across Minnesota. A wild deer harvested in Houston county, southeast of Rochester, reported a presumptive positive of CWD on November 17. This is the first reported case identified in this county since testing began in 2002.
The DNR has contacted the hunters and made arrangements to collect the carcass and meat from the presumptive positive animal. If confirmed positive the DNR will issue further deer hunting permits in this area with consideration for special hunts in January and February.
DNR representative say although disappointing, these findings are not surprising considering the proximity to known CWD positive areas. The DNR is working closely with the Board of Animal Health to monitor and define endemic CWD areas.
DNR: CWD outside of management zone
DNR: CWD
National
Longhorned ticks now in nine states
The Asian longhorned tick first appeared in the US last year and since then has spread across eight additional states. It first appeared in New Jersey where it was found on a sheep. The tick has been located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The tick in known to be found on a variety of different host including wildlife, domestic animals and people. The longhorned tick is unique in that the female can reproduce without a male allowing for rapid amplification in the environment.
Currently there is no evidence that the longhorned tick is a vector of disease in the US, but in other countries it is known to transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause severe illness and death in humans and animals. Current prevention recommendations are the same as general tick prevention including the use of 20-30% DEET, tick checks, and the use of long clothing if in tick populated areas.
International
Vaccine for bees developed in Finland
Researchers in Finland have developed the first-ever vaccine for insects. The vaccine fights against a bacteria known as American Foulbrood (AFB). This bacteria devastates hives and spreads at calamitous rates.
The big challenge that researchers faced at the University of Helsinki was how to create a vaccine for a species, who’s immune system, does not have any antibodies. Researches located a protein called vitellogenin which imparts an elevated immune response in bees exposed to the bacteria.The vaccine is delivered via an edible sugar patty. When the queen ingests the vaccine, she then passes immunity to her eggs, where it works to induce future immune responses.
AFB is a devastating disease in bees with no cure. Bees play a crucial role in the agricultural industry serving as vital pollinators for many food crops. When a hive is infected, each brood cell hosts millions of bacterial spores, which then can spread throughout the hive.
Questions, comments, feedback about today's Weekly Update? Please email Dr. Gus Brihn
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Gus Brihn
Gus completed his undergraduate degree at the U of M in Global Studies, and has spent much of his time abroad, including time in France and Namibia. Gus became interested in emergency medicine from becoming a Wilderness First Responder and NR-EMT. He completed his veterinary degree at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Gus is interested in zoonotic disease outbreak investigation, prevention, and epidemiology. Outside of work, Gus enjoys rock climbing and doing Brazilian Jiu jitsu. He has an 11 year-old Staffordshire terrier mix breed dog named Sweet Pea.