Wolf as disease carriers

[wolfbait]

 Every single person who can write a sentence or 10 should do so and send this letter to all our government officials demanding that they take matters into their own hands and not let Washington get to a point where Idaho and Montana is now.  If they continue to tow the mark of the WDFW and the USFWS and not take immediate action we will be in the same boat. We need to make a point of this letter from Hinkle on the disease and the apparent intangible fact that there are far more wolves here in Washington than is being let on. We do not want to end up in the same pond of wolves and diseases that the other states have.
 

Sen. Greg Hinkle submitted the following letter to be read at the March 2, 2010 meeting of the Environmental Quality Council.

Environmental Quality Council
Representative Chas Vincent, Chair
P.O. Box 201704
Helena, Mt. 59620-1704

Re: Wolf as disease carriers

Dear Representative Vincent and members of the Council,

I have reviewed the documents before this Council on the spread of Hydatid Disease via the wolf. In addition to this, I have reviewed information from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and studies by renowned wildlife biologist Dr. Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at the University of Calgary. You have seen his comments in an email dated February 28, 2010 titled, “EQC and wolves/wolf diseases”.

You have information indicating that almost two-thirds of the wolves in Montana are carriers of the Hydatid Tapeworm and are contaminating our landscape with the eggs of this worm. We have a much milder climate in Montana than in the Far North and it appears this will contribute to a more prevalent spread of the disease. You have read Dr. Geists comments on how easily humans can come in contact with the eggs through pets and wildlife where deer or elk are intermediate hosts contributing to the spread of the disease. The seriousness of this contamination of the landscape can not be understated or denied.

In a fact sheet published by the CDC on Echinococossis it is stated, in part, that a person can become infected “by directly ingesting food items contaminated with stool (or eggs) from foxes, coyotes (wolves). This might include grass, herbs, greens, or berries gathered in fields.” Considering the number of wolves in western Montana, to what extent is the probability of wild berries being contaminated?

I have a copy of a letter written to Ed Bangs, Wolf Specialist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) dated October 3, 1993 from Will N. Graves (Gray Wolf EIS). In that letter, Mr. Graves pointed out the fact that wolves of the north were Hydatid carriers and should not be introduced into the United States by the USFWS. This dated letter was prior to the introduction program; therefore, was the warning ignored or disregarded by Mr. Bangs?

The Montana Constitution in Article IX, Section 1 guarantees every Montanan the unalienable right to a clean and healthy environment; that the legislature will administer and enforce this duty; and that “the legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

The expansion of the wolf population enhanced by foreign wolves is virtually wiping out western Montana’s big game herds. I know that from personal observations and those of other outdoorsmen.

I would point out that in a US Supreme Court case; Printz v. United States, 95-1503; the Court referred to a previous case; New York v. United States, 505 U.S. 144 (1992); and they stated in Printz, “The Federal government”, we held, “may not compel the States to enact or administer a federal regulatory program”, Id., at188. This begs the question, in my mind; did the USFWS have the authority to contaminate our environment with diseased wolves?

Where do we go from here? I believe there are some options. First would be to request that the Attorney General of Montana fully investigate whether Mr. Bangs and the USFWS knew of the potential of bringing diseased wolves from a foreign country into the State. If this is found to be true, the State should sue USFWS for violating our Constitutional guarantee to a clean and healthful environment. Second, we should immediately begin to eradicate the source of the problem. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) should make available an unlimited number of wolf tags and open the season year round. They should educate all hunters on the potential hazard of handling a wolf (or coyote). The funds from the wolf tags should be divided up and all those who harvest a wolf at the end of each calendar year will receive a payment for each wolf harvested. Yes, it is called a bounty. Thirdly, due to deer and elk being intermediate hosts of the disease, FWP should immediately enforce the prohibition on the feeding of ungulates. Illegal feeding concentrates deer and elk creating a hazard for everyone. Other than that, what other sound options are there to hold the spread of this disease in check?

Sincerely,

Senator Greg Hinkle
###
Greg Hinkle represents Senate District 7, which includes western Missoula County and all of Mineral County

http://washingtonwolf.info/

http://graywolfnews.com/ 

saveelk.com

WolfKill@LoboWatch.com

[woodswalker]

YES!!!!

[bearpaw]

Awesome, someone is finally considering the possible effects of this disease in Montana. Everyone who is active on this forum should forward this letter to their legislators, county commissioners, wildlife commission, and any sporting groups.

Use this link to get legislator email addresses:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,31831.0.html

[mulehunter]

Great to hear...

Mulehunter 

[bearpaw]

Everyone can also help by sending the text and link to the original story to everyone they know and to media outlets:

http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/article.php/20100305154807190



Big media seems to be avoiding the story but other news sources are getting the word out:

http://diseasedatabase.org/2010/03/%C2%BB-sen-hinkle-letter-wolves-as-disease-carriers-forest-wildlife/

http://westinstenv.org/news/2010/03/07/sen-hinkle-letter-wolves-as-disease-carriers/

http://www.montananewsreports.com/CLARK-FORK-CHRONICLE/Sen-Hinkle-letter-Wolves-as-disease-carriers

http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/portal/h_canidae.php

http://www.statenewslines.com/explore/index.cfm?state_id=MT&CFID=5800344&CFTOKEN=67016757

http://www.huntingcabinsforsale.net/MONTANA-NEWS-HEADLINES/Sen-Hinkle-letter-Wolves-as-disease-carriers

http://www.my-blue-planet.info/sen-hinkle-letter-wolves-as-disease-carriers-clark-fork-chronicle/

[bearpaw]

Here is another story of extreme importance form the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. I recieved a statement that 40% of wolves tested were carrying this disease, the page states costs to the dairy cattle industry in California due to Neospora Caninum , I imagine the costs go up substantially with the inclusion of beef cattle.

Send this info to legislators, county commissioners, cattle associations, wildlife commissioners, media outlets, and everyone you know:


http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-DA/Abortion.html

INFECTIOUS ABORTIONS IN DAIRY COWS

 John H. Kirk, DVM, MPVM

Veterinary Medical Extension
Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center
University of California, Davis
Tulare CA 93274

Neospora
These abortions are caused by Neospora caninum, a protozoon. The protozoa have recently been found to be carried by dogs and probably coyotes. The dogs are thought to transmit the protozoan eggs or oocyts in their feces. Eating the dog feces with the oocyts infects cows. Once a cow becomes infected, they pass the infections on to the fetuses they are carrying through the placenta. Most abortions (80%) are seen during the 4-6th month of pregnancy. The fetus is usually autolyzed. This route of transmission from dam to fetus is thought to be responsible for outbreak storms of abortions. Some infected calves may be born with neurological disorders.

However, most infections are thought to occur by transplacental infections of the Neospora parasite from infected cows to their calves in utero or during pregnancy. This route of transfer is felt to result in sporadic but continuing abortions within dairy herds. Sero-positive cows are 2-3 times more likely to abort than sero-negative cows. The occasional abortion storms result from massive infections from ingestion of infective dog feces.

Diagnosis can be made from distinctive brain and heart lesions in aborted fetus or blood titers in cows. Prevention of abortions can be aided by restriction of dogs on dairies from the stored feed and feeding areas. Sero-positive, infected cows will continue to have sero-positive, infected calves. These seropositive cows have also been found to have reduced milk production and earlier culling than seronegative cows. Some consideration should be given to culling seropositive cows. Recent evidence indicates that herds with high prevalence of Neospora will have an increased number of abortions for other causes as well.

Control of Neospora may involves detection and elimination of sero-positive cows, excluding wild animals and dogs from access to cattle feed and vaccination.




http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/INF-DA/INF-DA_NEOSPORA.HTML

Neospora Abortion in Dairy Cattle

Steven L. Berry, DVM, MPVM;
John H. Kirk, DVM, MPVM;
Mark C. Thurmond, DVM, PhD

Department of Animal Science and
School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis

Neospora caninum is a coccidian protozoa that causes abortion in dairy cattle. Neospora has been found worldwide and is the most common cause of abortions on dairies in many areas including California. The organism was first identified i n 1988 as a cause of abortion in dogs and, shortly after; a Neospora–like organism was described as causing abortions in dairy cows. The organism causing abortion in cattle is now known to be the same species but a different strain as that ca using abortion in dogs.

Neospora caninum is a parasite that very closely resembles Toxoplasma gondii which is known to cause abortion in sheep and goats but has not been diagnosed as a cause of abortion in cattle. The definitive host for a parasite is on e which the parasite requires to complete its life cycle. No definitive host has not been found for Neospora. The cat is the definitive host for Toxoplasma gondii but Neospora caninum has never been found to occur naturally in cats. Cats are an important part of rodent control on many dairies and if the cats are removed from the dairy, rodents will be more of a problem. It is also possible that the rodents could be the definitive host for the parasite. Neospora caninum can in fect a wide variety of animals (dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, mice) and is found world wide. We might, therefore, expect that the definitive host would be a species or group of related species that have a worldwide distribution. We would also expect the definitive host to be one in which the parasite would have a low pathogenicity.

The economic loss to the California dairy industry from Neospora caninum has been estimated to be more than $35,000,000 per year due to failure to start lactation due to early abortion. This estimate does not consider the loss of calves, lower milk production, and increased culling not related to abortion. One California study found that cows that had antibodies against (seropositive) Neospora caninum produced at least 2.5 lb/day less milk that those that were seronegative. Another stud y found that seropositive cows were culled 6.3 months earlier and had a 1.6 times greater risk of being culled than seronegative cows in the same herd.

It appears that vertical transmission (from cow to fetus through the placenta) is the main means of disease transmission. Infection can thus be maintained on dairies even without the definitive host since the infection can pass from cow to calf throug h many generations. How cows acquire the initial infection is unknown at this time. There has only been one report of limited postnatal transmission in some herds.

Neosporosis is the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortions in California dairy herds. The presence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in cows does not ensure protection against the disease. It is possible that protection might depend on anoth er form of immunity, cell-mediated immunity, although the mechanism has not been shown. There are some herds which have endemic infection (many cows have antibody titers to Neospora caninum) which have a fairly steady abortion rate due to Neosp ora caninum and other causes. There are also herds in which the disease will cause epidemic abortion storms. Seropositive cows are 2-3 times more likely to abort than seronegative cows in a herd with endemic infection. The odds of a seropositive cow aborting are much higher in herds that have epidemic abortions. Herds that experience abortion storms are probably the result of recent exposure of naïve cows or some sort of immunosuppression such as concurrent infection with BVD.

There are several tests used to detect the disease in dairy herds. Immunofluorescent antibody tests (IFAT) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) will detect antibodies against Neospora caninum in cows blood serum. Positive IFAT or ELISA results mean that the cows were exposed to the disease but do not necessarily indicate infection status at the time of the test. Abortion diagnosis should be made with a combination of the serological tests and immunohistochemistry and histopathology of the aborting fetuses.

Many producers live with the disease in endemically infected herds and consider Neospora to be a cost of production. Abortions tend to occur during mid-lactation and it appears that fetuses exposed in early gestation are more likely to abort an d that fetuses exposed later are more likely to survive. It is uncertain whether fetal exposure is related to ingestion of Neospora by the cow or if it is due to recrudescence of a latent infection. Although most calves born to infected cows will appear to be clinically normal, there may be some neurological disease that is not readily apparent. Normal calves with congenital infections usually have high antibody titers which indicate exposure in the uterus. Thus far, there is no evidence of disea se progression or risk of other diseases in clinically normal, infected calves. In one California study, seropositive calves grew up to give birth to seropositive calves and seronegative calves grew up to give birth to seronegative calves. None of the se ronegative calves became seropositive during the study.

Prevention recommendations are difficult to make without knowing the definitive host and also vertical transmission of the disease can maintain the disease on a dairy even in the absence of the definitive host. The most common recommendation is to try to prevent fecal contamination of feed on the dairy. There is no evidence that culling seropositive cows or heifers will help control the disease and in all likelihood would be economically disastrous. It is possible that seropositive cows act as a natu ral form of vaccination and may help prevent abortion storms, although Neospora caninum can still cause sporadic abortions on the dairy.

There is some evidence that Neospora caninum may be overdiagnosed in some abortion storms. California researchers investigated 20 herds with epidemic abortion storms characteristic of Neospora and found that 6/20 had no relationship betw een the abortion epidemic and antibody titers in the herd. BVD was involved in three of the herds and leptospirosis was involved in one herd. Another study found that 80% of seropositive cows did not abort. It is important when taking blood samples from aborting cows that samples also be taken from non-aborting cows so that antibody titers can be compared between the groups to assess the probability of Neospora caninum being the cause of the abortions. The take home message is that vaccination pr ograms on dairies should be in place to control other abortion causing organisms and that investigation into the cause of epidemic or endemic abortions needs to include organisms other than Neospora caninum.

[mathews_shooter4life]

here is another article you may use for example....



http://balanceduse.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/TheOutdoorsmanNo-36-Wolf-Tapeworm.pdf

[wolfbait]

Not only are the Canadian wolves killing our livestock, but now they are spreading diseases among them. I talk to some folks in Wenatchee today, one guy from the C. Res, who said that the game wardens are telling them that they cannot shoot any wolves that are attacking or eating their livestock, and that anyone caught would get up to 5 years in prison and a huge fine. I asked him what he thought of that and he said "we have been and will continue to take care of any wolves we see, he said that they try very hard to keep the predators thinned down. Another person I talk to who lives up on Badger Mt. told me that they have a real bad cougar problem, which the WDFW are denying, but said that one of the game wardens told them that it was true they did have. It's beginning to look like WDF&wolves are slowly going to faze hunting out in Washington.