罕见真菌致死濒危响尾蛇
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2012-02-22 01:36 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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A small population of rattlesnakes(响尾蛇) that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus1 rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, suffers from habitat loss and environmental stresses wherever it is found, said University of Illinois comparative biosciences visiting instructor2 and wildlife veterinarian Matthew Allender, who led the health investigation3. Long-term population studies of the snake -- in Illinois and elsewhere -- had never turned up evidence of debilitating4 fungal infections. But in 2008, biologists studying the snake reported to Allender that they had found three sick snakes in a park in southern Illinois, all with disfiguring(使变丑) lesions on their heads. The snakes died within three weeks of their discovery. A fourth snake with a similar syndrome5 was discovered in the same park in the spring of 2010.

Allender conducted necropsies(验尸) on the snakes and identified the pathogen that had killed them: C hrysosporium, a fungus that plagues portions of the pet reptile6(爬行动物) industry but is not normally seen in the wild, he said.

"Chrysosporium causes disease in bearded dragons and in other snakes and it's a bad bug," Allender said. "We see it in captive animals worldwide, but we don't typically find it in free-ranging animals."

Chrysosporium also is emerging as a dangerous infection in humans with weakened immune systems, he said.

Shortly after he first presented his findings at a meeting of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Allender heard from other biologists about similar infections in snakes in the northeast United States.

"They seem to be having a similar problem in timber(木材) rattlesnakes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts," Allender said. Although biologists have sporadically7 identified Chrysosporium in those snakes, the symptoms they report -- facial swelling8 and ulcers9 and malformations of the jaw10 -- are the same, he said. These infections also occurred only within the last five years.

"Fungal pathogens(病原体) have been increasingly associated with free-ranging epidemics11 in wildlife, including the well-known effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on frog populations globally and white-nosed syndrome in bats," Allender wrote in a December 2011 report in Emerging Infectious Diseases. "Both of these diseases cause widespread and ongoing12 deaths in these populations that seriously threaten biodiversity across the United States."

Allender sees this new occurrence of a fungal infection in endangered snakes as a "yellow flag" that warrants more study.

"Wildlife diseases and human health are not that different," he said. "And often wildlife are our window into a weakened environment that leads to disease in both people and animals."



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1 fungus gzRyI     
n.真菌,真菌类植物
参考例句:
  • Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
  • This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。
2 instructor D6GxY     
n.指导者,教员,教练
参考例句:
  • The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
  • The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
3 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
4 debilitating RvIzXw     
a.使衰弱的
参考例句:
  • The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病,使他弱到没有办法工作。
  • You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。
5 syndrome uqBwu     
n.综合病症;并存特性
参考例句:
  • The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
  • Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。
6 reptile xBiz7     
n.爬行动物;两栖动物
参考例句:
  • The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
  • So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以,你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。
7 sporadically RvowJ     
adv.偶发地,零星地
参考例句:
  • There are some trees sporadically around his house. 他的房子周围零星地有点树木。 来自辞典例句
  • As for other aspects, we will sporadically hand out questionnaires. 在其他方面,我们会偶尔发送调查问卷。 来自互联网
8 swelling OUzzd     
n.肿胀
参考例句:
  • Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
  • There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。
9 ulcers CfBzhM     
n.溃疡( ulcer的名词复数 );腐烂物;道德败坏;腐败
参考例句:
  • Detachment of the dead cells produces erosions and ulcers. 死亡细胞的脱落,产生糜烂和溃疡。 来自辞典例句
  • 75% of postbulbar ulcers occur proximal to the duodenal papilla. 75%的球后溃疡发生在十二指肠乳头近侧。 来自辞典例句
10 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
11 epidemics 4taziV     
n.流行病
参考例句:
  • Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间,又会引入歧途。
  • The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。
12 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
TAG标签: population snake fungus
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