Herpes Outbreak Among Australia’s Green Sea Turtles Likely Triggered by Pollution – via Herp Digest

From Gizmodo, 7/5/16 by George Dvorsky

Australian scientists in the midst of investigating a herpes outbreak among green sea turtles at the Great Barrier Reef say the blight—which causes abnormal growths on the skin, mouth, eyes, and internal organs—is likely due to pollution. 

For the past three years, Karina Jones from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, has been investigating fibropapillomatosis (FP) among green sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef. This condition, triggered by a turtle-specific herpes virus, causes disfiguring tumors around the eyes armpits, genitals, neck and flippers. The tumors are benign, but they can often lead to death, as the growths can obstruct a turtle’s vision and prevent them from finding food or avoiding predators and boats. It also makes them more vulnerable to further infections.

Scientists aren’t sure how or why sea turtles get the disease, or why it’s starting to spread like wildfire. Indeed, other parts of the world are recording similar outbreaks, including Florida and Hawaii. Forty years ago, FP was seen in about 28 to 67 percent of sea turtles. Today, it’s as high as 92 percent in certain regions, and it’s most prominent in warmer climates.

As New Scientist now reports, an unpublished survey by Jones’ team shows that rates of the herpes virus is most pronounced along a specific stretch of water at Magnetic Island, which happens to be a popular tourist attraction at the reef. The team’s research shows that about half of the turtles in these waters have FP, compared to 10 percent elsewhere around Cockle Bay.

This new research bolsters the suggestion that a connection exists between FP and human activity. Previous research has shown a strong correlation between near-shore habitats and the disease.

Importantly, this virus exists around the world, and many turtles carry the virus—but it’s often dormant. “We think there must be some external trigger that causes the tumor development,” noted Jones in New Scientist. That “external trigger” is likely pollution, but these researchers aren’t sure which contaminants are responsible. Looking ahead, her team plans to evaluate historical water quality data and test water samples for chemicals like heavy metals, pesticides, and fertilizer. The researchers will also collect blood samples and swabs from turtles to find out what’s going on at a physiological level.

It’s a daunting task, but this work is hugely important. Green sea turtles are classified as an endangered species, currently threatened by over harvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, fishing gear, and a loss of nesting beach sites. They don’t need another enemy.

Carpageddon: Australia plans to kill carp with herpes

3 May 2016

The Australian politician who declared war on Johnny Depp's dogs has a new enemy - the European carp.

Barnaby Joyce, the deputy prime minister, said the only way to get rid of the "bottom-dwelling, mudsucking" fish was to unleash herpes on it.

The A$15m ($11m; £8m) eradication program, dubbed "Carpageddon" by the government, aims to rid the Murray-Darling Basin of carp.

Mr Joyce's spirited rant was met with laughter in Australia's lower house.

Carp were first introduced to Australia in 1859, but numbers exploded in the 1960s after an adapted fish-farming strain was accidently released into the wild.

It's estimated carp make up around 80-90% of the fish biomass within the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia's most important agriculture region.

The carp are prolific breeders that compete with native fish.

Their toothless jaws mean they need to feed at the bottom of rivers, which causes erosion and makes the water turbid, reducing water quality.

Mr Joyce said the invasive species was costing the Australian economy up to A$500m per year.

The federal government wants to release cyprinid herpesvirus (carp herpesvirus) - which first appeared in Israel - into the Murray River to kill around 95% of the carp.

Read more ...

Australian environmentalists want to use herpes virus to kill invasive carp

JANUARY 13, 2016

by Susanna Pilny

 Australian fishers, farmers, and environmentalists have taken enough crap from carp—and they’re calling for deadly measures. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), they’re aiming for a virus to be released that will wipe out most of the carp population.

Carp is a species that was introduced to Australia around 1859, although they didn’t really take off in terms of population until the early 1900s. Since then, they have become a growing problem, as they feed on the bottoms of rivers, making the water cloudy. This harms native fish’s ability to reproduce, and also stunts plant growth. Besides this, carp also are direct competitors with other native species for habitats, and have even been known to feed on their young.

Because of this, there have been huge declines in the populations of native fish across freshwater ecosystems—especially in the Murray-Darling Basin, an inland waterway that encompasses around one-seventh of Australia’s landmass.

Now, some of Australia’s largest fishing, farming, and environmental groups—such as the Australian Conservation Foundation, National Farmers' Federation, Invasive Species Council, and the National Irrigators' Council—are calling for carp annihilation.

Koi herpes virus to annihilate crappy carp

Their hope rests on the koi herpes virus (KHV), a DNA-based virus that is of the same family as (you guessed it) herpes simplex virus. The first recognized case of the virus occurred in the UK in 1996, and it has been known to kill up to 100 percent of all carp while ignoring other fish species—which would have obvious benefits.

According to Allan Hansard, the head of the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation, should the virus prove effective, inland waterways would return to almost the same condition they were in before the carp were introduced.

"People say inland waterways like the Murray-Darling used to be clear, wouldn't it be great to see that?" Hansard said to the

Read more at

Herpes-infected monkeys terrorize Florida

Beware of the monkeys!

Hundreds of rare wild monkeys — some carrying herpes — are on the loose in Florida after a tour guide brought the spunky critters to the state long ago.

Wildlife officials said that three pairs of Rhesus monkeys were transported to a park near Ocala in the 1930s by tour operator Colonel Tooey after a “Tarzan” flick sparked a fascination with the creature.

But the breed has since boomed and more than 1,000 of the monkeys now live in the state, wildlife officials say.

State officials have caught more than 700 of the monkeys in the past decade — most of which tested positive for the herpes-B virus.

Wildlife officials now consider the monkeys a public health hazard.

Continued