Matilda the echidna beats crippling ant allergy – with a little help from science

Vets develop vaccine after first known record of an echidna being allergic to their core food source

Calla Wahlquist

Tue 2 Oct 2018 03.51 BSTLast modified on Tue 2 Oct 2018 17.45 BST

Matilda is an unusual echidna. She is curious where her peers are shy, and gregarious where they are solitary. She is also allergic to ants.

For a species also known as the spiny anteater, that is a significant problem. It is the first known record of an echidna being allergic to their core food source.

Keepers at Victoria’s Healesville Sanctuary noticed something was wrong when Matilda, who came to the sanctuary as a three-month-old 700g puggle in 2010, was weaned off milk on to an adult diet of ants and termites. The symptoms became pronounced when she was two years old.

“She became really puffy and red around both of her eyes, there was a lot of discharge coming from her eyes, and it also affected her belly,” Healesville Sanctuary vet Claire Madden told Guardian Australia. “She lost a lot of hair and also the skin on her belly was really raw.”

Echidnas are prone to various types of dermatitis, usually caused by a parasite like ticks, mites or lice. They can also get secondary skin infections after a traumatic incident like a dog bite or being hit by a car, and also sometimes suffer from dermatitis caused by fungal infections that take hold when they are kept in poor conditions.

Vets at Healesville went through all of those options, trying various topical cures and subjecting Matilda to regular bathing and courses of antibiotics, all of which she accepted with good grace, before veterinary dermatologists at the Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre suggested an allergen test.

Continued 

How a Prairie-Dog Plague Vaccine Could Protect Ferrets (and Maybe People, Too)

By Nidhi Sharma, Live Science Contributor | May 21, 2018 03:30pm ET

Yes, there's a vaccine for the plague, one of the most notorious diseases known to humanity. But unfortunately, this vaccine isn't for humans — it's for prairie dogs.

This prairie-dog vaccine isn't new. In 2016, scientists used drones to drop vaccine-laced peanut-butter pellets onto prairie-dog colonies below.

Since 2016, however, the scientists — a team of collaborators from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and researchers from the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) — have honed their vaccine distribution methods, using all-terrain vehicles in addition to drones to deliver the lifesaving drug to the prairie dogs. [10 Deadly Diseases That Hopped Across Species]

Plague is caused by the flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis. In prairie dogs and other rodents, the bacterium causes a disease called sylvatic plague; in humans, the same bacterium causes bubonic plague, which, if not treated with antibiotics, can be deadly.

But saving prairie dogs from the plague isn't the end goal of the vaccination program. Instead, the scientists are immunizing prairie dogswith the hope of protecting the rodents' primary predator: the endangered black-footed ferret.

The vaccine has been distributed "very specifically" to areas "where endangered, captive ferrets have been reintroduced into colonies with active prairie dog populations," said Katherine Richgels, the applied wildlife health research branch chief at the NWHC.

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Drones to unleash vaccine-laced M&Ms in bid to save endangered ferrets

US Fish and Wildlife Service to target diseased prairie dogs, food for the ferrets, via specially designed drones that shoot the candies in three directions at once

Oliver Milman

Tuesday 12 July 201617.17 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 12 July 201617.55 BST

The US government is set to unleash drones that fire vaccine-covered M&Ms in a bid to save the endangered black-footed ferret, a species that is facing a plague epidemic across America’s great plains.

The US Fish and Wildlife (FWS) has developed a plan to bombard ferret habitat in Montana with the vaccine, which will be administered via specially designed drones that will be able to shoot M&Ms in three directions simultaneously.

The vaccines will be targeted at the prairie dog population at the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge in north-eastern Montana. Black footed ferrets – North America’s only native ferret – are completely dependent upon prairie dogs, which are a type of burrowing rodent, for their food and shelter.

Both black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs are susceptible to the sylvatic plague, a flea-borne disease spread from rats that were introduced from ships arriving in California in the 1800s. While individual ferrets can be vaccinated by an injection, wildlife officials have found it difficult to protect prairie dogs over large areas.

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Koala chlamydia vaccine trial raises hope Koala waiting to be vaccinated in Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. 29 Oct 2014 Chlamydia causes blindness and infertility in koalas, and can be fatal Continue reading the main story Related Stories Threat to an Australian icon Koalas 'could face extinction' Australian scientists say they have successfully tested a vaccine aimed at protecting wild koalas from chlamydia. The disease has ravaged the native marsupial, which is under increasing threat. Microbiologists in Queensland now hope to protect some of the remaining population after successfully trialling a vaccine developed over five years. Koala numbers have plummeted in recent years and there are believed to be as few as 43,000 left in the wild. In some areas, numbers have dropped by as much as 80% in the past 10 years. The strain of chlamydia that affects koalas can lead to blindness, infertility and death among the animals. In the trial, microbiologists from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland gave 30 koalas the vaccine while 30 others were left unvaccinated. All 60 were then fitted with radio collars so they could be monitored in their natural habitat at Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane. Of the 30 vaccinated, some were already infected with chlamydia, some were healthy and some were showing symptoms of the disease such as eye infections and reproductive tract infections. Researchers said that seven out of eight koalas suffering from eye infections who received the vaccine showed an improvement. But in the unvaccinated group, four of six koalas with eye infections saw their conditions worsen. Koala map The researchers also found that koalas infected with the chlamydia strain did not go on to develop the full-blown disease after they were vaccinated. "It's all very promising and it's not just that it's doing the right thing from an immune response point of view, but it's actually protecting a significant number of them out in the wild climbing around trees," Professor Peter Timms told AFP news agency. The Australian government has classified the koala as a vulnerable species as its numbers plummeted due to habitat loss, disease and other factors. Prof Timms said chlamydia was one of the "tipping points" contributing to the decline of the animal and it was crucial to stop its spread. "The vaccine would actually make a difference," he said. Researchers intend to continue the trial in areas where koalas are most at risk. More on This Story Related Stories Threat to an Australian icon 25 APRIL 2013, MAGAZINE Koalas 'could face extinction' 10 NOVEMBER 2009, ASIA-PACIFIC From other news sites Japan Times Scientists hope vaccine can save koala population ravaged by chlamydia 4 hrs ago TheStar.com.my Marsupial STD cure? Koala chlamydia gets a vaccine 11 hrs ago Mail Online UK Koalas CURED of chlamydia after Australian scientists carry out successful vaccine trial 24 hrs ago Bangkok Post Hopes raised after 'success' of koala chlamydia vaccine trial 29 hrs ago ABC Online Chlamydia 'breakthrough' in fight to protect koalas 35 hrs ago About these results Share this page ShareFacebookTwitter EmailPrint More Australia storiesRSS A gloved hand on keyboardData retention bill introduced Data about phone and computer use will be kept by telecommunications companies for two years if a bill introduced to the Australian parliament is passed. No impact study for wetlands dumping Peris emails 'part of family dispute' Top Stories

Australian scientists say they have successfully tested a vaccine aimed at protecting wild koalas from chlamydia.

The disease has ravaged the native marsupial, which is under increasing threat.

Microbiologists in Queensland now hope to protect some of the remaining population after successfully trialling a vaccine developed over five years.

Koala numbers have plummeted in recent years and there are believed to be as few as 43,000 left in the wild.

In some areas, numbers have dropped by as much as 80% in the past 10 years.

The strain of chlamydia that affects koalas can lead to blindness, infertility and death among the animals.

In the trial, microbiologists from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland gave 30 koalas the vaccine while 30 others were left unvaccinated.

Continued ...

Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria

December 2013: An effective vaccine against malaria could be developed in the next five years thanks to to a new discovery.

Scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have discovered a key process during the invasion of the blood cell by the Malaria parasite, and more importantly, found a way to block this invasion.

Continued

Will elephant contraception work in South Africa?

Birth control for elephants in South Africa is being hailed as a success, after the introduction of a contraception vaccine being trialled by researchers.

Wildlife conservationists believe it is likely to become the way to control South Africa's ever-expanding elephant population.

But the plans have provoked considerable controversy.

Some of the country's most eminent elephant experts are completely opposed to the contraception programme.

Elephants eat an estimated 270kg (600lbs) of food a day and can be extremely destructive while feeding, pushing over trees or breaking off branches.

Unlike in many African countries, where poaching has recently been having a devastating effect on elephant numbers, in South Africa the population is estimated at about 20,000.

For the last five years, wildlife experts in the Tembe Elephant Park, which borders Mozambique, have been firing the contraceptives into the female elephants from the air.

The 300 sq km (115 sq mile) park in KwaZulu Natal province has 200 elephants in its herd - some of southern Africa's largest giant animals with magnificent tusks.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19990483

Veterinarians Promote West Nile Vaccine for Horses

The West Nile Virus is impacting the horse population, as well as humans. Horses are vulnerable to the disease, and there have been a handful of reported equine cases this summer.

Veterinarians say there is a way to protect your animal from the virus.

"We have 26,000 head of horses in Denton County, and this is a $55 million annually industry in this county," horse owner Eddie Baggs said.

Baggs is concerned about the impact the virus could have on his animals and the horse industry in Denton County.

Equine veterinarian Matt Lampe said any horse is susceptible; however, like humans, the older horses and horses with weak immune systems are more likely to contract the virus.

"Once they become infected, they get an inflamed spinal column, they lose their coordination, some are unable to rise, and death is not unheard of," Lampe said.

However, Lampe said there is a West Nile vaccine for horses, and it's 94-percent effective.

"We have almost eliminated this disease from the equine populations with the vaccination protocols," Lampe said. "If we are vaccinating your horses, you are very unlikely to see a case. If you are not, you are at the risk as the un-vaccinated people are."

Baggs said there have been four confirmed cases of the virus in horses in the North Texas region this summer. Two of the confirmed cases were in Parker County, and two were in Collin County. He said these low numbers prove the vaccine is effective.

"We are very meticulous about our health program here on the ranch to make sure the horses are taken care of and we take those preventative steps," Baggs said.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Veterinarians-Promote-West-Nile-Vaccine-for-Horses-163218586.html 

Mouse With Human Immune System May Revolutionize HIV Vaccine Research

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) — One of the challenges to HIV vaccine development has been the lack of an animal model that accurately reflects the human immune response to the virus and how the virus evolves to evade that response. In the July 18 issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT and Harvard report that a model created by transplanting elements of the human immune system into an immunodeficient mouse addresses these key issues and has the potential to reduce significantly the time and costs required to test candidate vaccines.

"Our study showed not only that these humanized mice mount human immune responses against HIV but also that the ability of HIV to evade these responses by mutating viral proteins targeted by CD8 'killer' T cells is accurately reflected in these mice," says Todd Allen, PhD, senior author of the report. "For the first time we have an animal model that accurately reproduces critical host-pathogen interactions, a model that will help facilitate the development an effective vaccine for HIV." Recent studies by Allen's team and others have revealed that immune control of HIV is significantly limited by the ability of the virus to evade immune responses by rapidly mutating.


Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120718143911.htm

Novel Vaccine for Strain of Foot-And-Mouth Disease

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) — One of the most economically devastating diseases in the world for those who raise cows, sheep, pigs, goats, deer and other cloven-hoofed animals is foot and mouth Disease (FMD). This incredibly contagious and fast-spreading disease causes fever, blisters on the feet and mouth (hence the name), loss of appetite, drooling, and lameness. Most herds affected are culled, as in the case of the 2001 outbreak in Great Britain when over 10 million animals had to be destroyed.

Traditional vaccines for FMD typically have three problems: first, there are so many different strains of the FMD virus that you must have a very well-matched vaccine to have any effect;second, traditional vaccines contain live FMD virus so they cannot be produced in the United States, and;third, depending on a vaccine's quality, it can be nearly impossible to determine whether an animal is actually infected, or has simply been exposed to the vaccine. Unless one can differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals, those animals vaccinated outside the U.S. with the traditional vaccine would be prohibited from entering any country that is designated FMD free. The United States has been FMD-free since 1929, but that is no guarantee that the disease will not strike again, as the UK learned in 2001 after being FMD-free for 34 years.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120703134149.htm