|
|
 |
|
|
|
register |
bbs |
search |
rss |
faq |
about
|
|
|
meet up |
add to del.icio.us |
digg it
|
|
|
|
Disease jumping from plants to animals to humans!
DISEASE JUMPING FROM PLANTS TO ANIMALS TO HUMANS?
By LEE BOWMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
WASHINGTON - A mysterious fragment of protein spreads a deadly disease
between sheep and cows through the feed they eat, and perhaps between cows and
people through hamburger. Britain's $1.5 billion beef industry has been
devastated by the mad cow disease scare.
A wheat scab outbreak in the upper Midwest two years ago destroyed nearly $2
billion in grain. The fungal pathogen also induces vomiting in some animals.
New plowing techniques have created ideal conditions for the once-rare blight.
The warm, wet winter of 1992-93 produced a bumper crop of pinon nuts in the
Southwest, which produced a 10-fold increase in deer mice. And dozens of people
who lived nearby were attacked by a hantavirus spread by the mice wastes and
caused many of the victims to suffocate.
Weather changes - or a changing virus - are also suspected in a recent
outbreak of canine distemper among African lions, animals that weren't believed
susceptible.
Scientists say microbes and viruses that cause disease in plants, animals
and people are often closely linked. Their ability to mutate and jump species
may play a significant role in many new or re-emerging diseases across the
globe.
"If we fail to understand linkages and inter-connectedness among emerging
and re-emerging infectious agents, the health and welfare of our citizenry and
our food supply will be jeopardized and the prosperity of our country will be
at risk," said Dr. Anne Vidaver, head of the plant pathology department at the
University of Nebraska, during a Capitol Hill briefing Friday.
She and other scientists argued that despite the "need for a more holistic
approach," there is little or no cooperation among the numerous government
agencies that track plant, animal and human diseases.
Experts in plant disease work out of the Agriculture, Interior and State
departments, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, plus supporting
roles provided by experts in climate at the Commerce Department, for example.
"These outbreaks are going to continue to happen, the question is whether
we'll know enough to be able to manage them," said Dr. Victor Nettles, director
of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of
Georgia.
"This is the first time we've gotten some of these specialists in the same
room," said Vidaver, who helped organize the session with the American Society
for Microbiology.
The surged a focus on basic research that could help fight disease
in all life forms.
For instance, last week's announcement of a complete genetic map for yeast
is especially important because yeast cells have similarities to human cells.
|
|
|
To the best of our knowledge, the text on this page may be freely reproduced and distributed.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our Copyright Policy.
totse.com certificate signatures
|
|
|
About | Advertise | Bad Ideas | Community | Contact Us | Copyright Policy | Drugs | Ego | Erotica
FAQ | Fringe | Link to totse.com | Search | Society | Submissions | Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
