Domestic, wild animal diseases in check for now

Animal diseases such as chronic wasting disease and West Nile virus have been in the headlines in recent years, but, for the moment, they and other diseases are mostly in check, according to at least one local expert.

“Wildlife is pretty healthy,´ said Dr. Terry Spraker, a veterinary pathologist at Colorado State University’s diagnostic lab in Fort Collins. “There are a few diseases out there, but if they have food and water, (wildlife) should do fine. The drought’s been hitting them pretty hard, though.”

If there is a disease that’s causing worry, it’s Newcastle Disease, which has been a concern of poultry producers in the American Southwest, particularly Southern California. So far, it has not shown up in Colorado. John Pape, Colorado’s state epidemiologist, said that Newcastle is not the type of disease that people or their pets can get, but it is particularly deadly to chickens, wiping out whole flocks of domesticated birds. It is primarily spread through the exhalations of domestic birds, but it can be spread though feces and parts of the carcasses of infected birds. If it strikes here, Pape said vulnerable spots could be Longmont Foods’ turkey production and pullet operations in Weld County.

West Nile found in Weld

West Nile Virus was one of the biggest stories in 2002. There were daily reports of the progress of the disease across the country and every time someone died of the disease, it was national news. When it turned up in horses in Weld County last summer, it made lots of people queasy.

Dr. Hana Van Campen is a diagnostic veterinarian in charge of virology at CSU and is an authority on West Nile. While mosquitoes can transmit the disease, Van Campden said the primary ?reservoir’ is birds, particularly members of the corvus family, such as crows and blue jays. However, domesticated birds like chickens are not that susceptible to the virus.

The disease kills by disrupting the functions of major organs. When it gets to the brain, it can cause encephalitis. People are vulnerable to West Nile, but Van Campen said the average age of people who die from it is between 70 and 79. Furthermore, it’s not an easy disease to catch.

“About 5 percent of horses are bitten by infected mosquitoes and of that 5 percent, maybe 20 percent of those horses may develop encephalitis,” Van Campen said.

Dogs and cats are susceptible to West Nile, as are certain species of sheep, goats and squirrels, but those infections are usually not serious.

A few years ago, the big story was mad cow disease, or more specifically, Britain’s very aggressive response to it, in which whole herds were destroyed to check its spread. Spraker said it’s unlikely such a scenario will occur on this side of the Atlantic. “We do not have it in the U.S.,” he said. “The federal government has done extensive screens for it.”

Chronic wasting still a concern

What we do have is chronic wasting disease — which affects deer and elk — and whirling disease, which impacts young rainbow trout.

Chronic wasting disease in deer and elk is a degenerative disease that first turned up in northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 1960s. So far, it has not made the jump to cattle or people, but researchers are keeping a close eye on it. Elk and deer farmers are strongly urged to enroll in state chronic wasting disease surveillance and control programs. Hunters should watch for any elk or deer displaying chronic wasting disease symptoms, such as loss of body condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation, increased drinking and urination or depression. Heads of these animals should be taken in for testing at the CSU chronic wasting disease testing facility before consuming the meat.

Whirling disease is also a degenerative disease but is limited to fish. It is especially nasty to young rainbow trout but doesn’t affect warm-water fish such as bass, walleye or catfish. George Sthisler, a researcher with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said the trout hatchery on the Poudre River was heavily infected by the spores that cause whirling disease and has been taken out of production.

People don’t get whirling disease and it’s doubtful that pet fish can get it, either. “We can’t even get the thing to infect other fish,´ said Sthisler. “For one thing, the spore (that causes it) has a very specific temperature requirement — about 0?C to 20?C.”

on Facebook on LinkedIn