![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]()
London UK (SPX) Jul 08, 2008 An international research team has published the first clear example of how climate extremes can create conditions in which diseases that are normally tolerated singly may converge and bring about mass die-offs in wildlife. In a report issued June 25 by PLoS ONE, an online peer-reviewed research journal, researchers examined outbreaks of canine distemper virus (CDV) in 1994 and 2001 that resulted in unusually high mortality in Serengeti lions. CDV cycles periodically within the Serengeti ecosystem, and epidemics have occurred without effects on lion populations. The study, led by scientists at the University of California, Davis, the University of Illinois, and the University of Minnesota, showed that both of the deadly CDV outbreaks were preceded by extreme drought conditions, which led to debilitated populations of Cape buffalo, the lion's prey. After the resumption of rains the buffalo suffered heavy tick infestations, resulting in high levels of a tick-borne blood parasite in the lion population, which in combination with CDV infection led to mass die-offs. This study suggests that extreme climatic conditions, such as the more frequent droughts and floods expected with global warming, are capable of altering normal host-pathogen relationships and bringing about a "perfect storm" of multiple infectious outbreaks, potentially triggering epidemics with catastrophic mortality. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com
![]() ![]() The ecology of penguins makes these iconic swimming and diving seabirds of the Southern Hemisphere unusually susceptible to environmental changes. |
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |