ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2012) — Australian scientists have discovered a new virus in bats that could help shed light on how Hendra and Nipah viruses cause disease and death in animals and humans.
The new virus -- named 'Cedar' after the Queensland location where it was discovered -- is a close relative of the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses.
However, CSIRO's initial studies have discovered one surprising key difference -- the Cedar virus does notcause illness in several animal species normally susceptible to Hendra and Nipah.
The new discovery had significant potential implications for protecting animals and humans from the Hendra and Nipah viruses.
This tantalising difference may help scientists understand how to better manage and control its deadly cousins. The findings have been announced August 3 in the journal,PLoS Pathogens, published by the Public Library of Science.
Mr Gary Crameri, research scientist with the bat virus team at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Victoria, said the new discovery had significant potential implications for protecting animals and humans from the Hendra and Nipah viruses.
Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120802183950.htm
Showing posts with label human-animal diseases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human-animal diseases. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
New Study Maps Hotspots of Human-Animal Infectious Diseases and Emerging Disease Outbreaks
ScienceDaily (July 5, 2012) — A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The report, which was conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Institute of Zoology (UK) and the Hanoi School of Public Health in Vietnam, maps poverty, livestock-keeping and the diseases humans get from animals, and presents a "top 20" list of geographical hotspots.
"From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health," said Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist and food safety expert with ILRI in Kenya and lead author of the study. "Targeting the diseases in the hardest hit countries is crucial to protecting global health as well as to reducing severe levels of poverty and illness among the world's one billion poor livestock keepers."
"Exploding global demand for livestock products is likely to fuel the spread of a wide range of human-animal infectious diseases," Grace added.
Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120705133843.htm
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