Seasonal activity patterns in the bat community at Neda Mine

Even though bats represent a relatively abundant, biologically fascinating and highly beneficial component of Wisconsin\u27s wildlife, they remain poorly studied and greatly misunderstood. Accounts of the seasonal adaptive strategies of most bats are inadequate or fragmentary (Barbour and Davis 1969). Rarely have researchers investigated more than one species at a single time and place. The aim of this study was to make simultaneous comparisons by sex and species of the various adaptive strategies employed by members of the Neda Mine bat community on an annual basis

The ecology of a moth associated with the northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

Endothenia daeckeana Krft. is an obligate associate of S. purpurea L. in Wisconsin. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the ecological relationship between this moth and its host plant

Rabies in Sri Lanka: Splendid Isolation

Rabies virus exists in dogs on Sri Lanka as a single, minimally divergent lineage only distantly related to other rabies virus lineages in Asia. Stable, geographically isolated virus populations are susceptible to local extinction. A fully implemented rabies-control campaign could make Sri Lanka the first Asian country in >30 years to become free of rabies virus

ORAL RABIES VACCINATION—A PROGRESS REPORT

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) targeting specific wild Carnivora species has emerged as an integral adjunct to conventional rabies control strategies to protect humans and domestic animals. ORV has been applied with progress toward eliminating rabies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Europe and southern Ontario, Canada. Beginning in the 1990’s, coordinated ORV was implemented in Texas to contain and eliminate variants of rabies virus in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) and coyote (Canis latrans ) and in several eastern U.S. States with the goal of preventing spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor ) rabies. The primary components of the control strategy include: enhanced rabies surveillance, coordinated ORV, use of natural barriers to bolster ORV, and contingency actions to treat emerging foci. The National Rabies Management Program, which is a cooperative program that began in 1997, has progressively grown to meet rabies control needs and currently includes ORV in 16 eastern states and Texas and Arizona. Annually, approximately 11 million baits are distributed over about 200,000 km2 in strategic locations to contain and eliminate variants of the rabies virus in coyotes, gray foxes and raccoons. Canine rabies in coyotes has been eliminated from Texas and a maintenance ORV barrier created along the Rio Grande in Texas has been challenged in 2001 and 2004, underscoring its importance in preventing re-infection with canine strain of rabies from Mexico. Hotspots in or near ORV zones targeting gray fox rabies, as well as breaches in ORV zones focused on raccoon rabies in Ohio and Massachusetts (Cape Cod) continue to be treated to restore the integrity of original ORV efforts. Development of new or improved oral rabies vaccines and baits that are also effective in vaccinating striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are among several key challenges facing the program. Skunks appear to help maintain the raccoon variant and serve to re-infect areas (Guerra et al. 2003), potentially confounding our ability to achieve long-term rabies management goals with currently available tools. A more comprehensive discussion of the current status of ORV in the U.S., including advances in enhanced rabies surveillance, application of contingency action plans, and research and management initiatives to address challenges facing rabies control in terrestrial wildlife nationally is provided by Slate et al. (2005)

Knowledge of Bat Rabies and Human Exposure Among United States Cavers

We surveyed cavers who attended the National Speleological Society convention in June 2000. Fifteen percent of respondents did not consider a bat bite a risk for acquiring rabies; only 20% had received preexposure prophylaxis against the disease. An under-appreciation of the risk for rabies from bat bites may explain the preponderance of human rabies viruses caused by variant strains associated with bats in the United States

El aumento de la rabia de la fauna silvestre: ¿una causa de interés o intervención de salud pública?

La epidemiología de la rabia en los Estados Unidos ha cambiado considerablemente durante el último medio siglo, debido a que la fuente de enfermedad ha cambiado de animales domésticos a la fauna silvestre, principalmente mapaches, zorrinos, zorros y vampiros. Además, los cambios observados entre la población de fauna silvestre afectada no han ocurrido sin la influencia humana. Más bien, la atracción humana por los recursos económicos y recreativos provista por la fauna silvestre, ha contribuido a la reemergencia de la rabia como una zoonosis mayor. Aunque las muertes humanas ocasionadas por la rabia han declinado recientemente al promedio de uno o dos al año, los costos estimados asociados con la disminución de muertes, suma centenares de millones de dólares anualmente. En esfuerzos futuros para controlar la rabia por una variedad de animales de vida libre, los profesionales de salud pública tendrán que emplear la imaginación para alcanzar soluciones eficaces en función de los costos y la seguridad de esta vieja enfermedad además de usar medidas tradicionales.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

El aumento de la rabia de la fauna silvestre: ¿una causa de interés o intervención de salud pública?

La epidemiología de la rabia en los Estados Unidos ha cambiado considerablemente durante el último medio siglo, debido a que la fuente de enfermedad ha cambiado de animales domésticos a la fauna silvestre, principalmente mapaches, zorrinos, zorros y vampiros. Además, los cambios observados entre la población de fauna silvestre afectada no han ocurrido sin la influencia humana. Más bien, la atracción humana por los recursos económicos y recreativos provista por la fauna silvestre, ha contribuido a la reemergencia de la rabia como una zoonosis mayor. Aunque las muertes humanas ocasionadas por la rabia han declinado recientemente al promedio de uno o dos al año, los costos estimados asociados con la disminución de muertes, suma centenares de millones de dólares anualmente. En esfuerzos futuros para controlar la rabia por una variedad de animales de vida libre, los profesionales de salud pública tendrán que emplear la imaginación para alcanzar soluciones eficaces en función de los costos y la seguridad de esta vieja enfermedad además de usar medidas tradicionales.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria