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Biodiversity Protects Against Disease, Scientists Find

By Guest PostFebruary 15, 2013Natureamphibian eating birds, amphibian infections, amphibian species, aquatic parasite cycle, biodiversity, biodiversity matters, bird species, boulder, california tiger salamander, community of frogs, complex ecosystems, dan preston, decrease in disease, deformed frogs, disease transmission, doug levey, egrets, factor, grasslands, herons, humans, humans and wildlife, hypothesis, infection with ribeiroia, jason hoverman, katie richgels, large scale ecosystems, life cycle, lyme disease, malformations, national science foundation, northern leopard frog, organisms, parasite transmission, parasitic infections, pathogen, pieter johnson, pond, pond community, protects against disease, purdue university, replicate, reservoir hosts, ribeiroia ondatrae, salamanders, toads, university of colorado, west nile virus

Discovery resulted from study of amphibians in ponds

The richer the assortment of amphibian species in a pond, the more protection that community of frogs, toads and salamanders has against a parasitic infection that can cause severe deformities, including the growth of extra legs.

The findings, published in a paper in this week’s issue of the journal Nature, support the idea that greater biodiversity in large-scale ecosystems, such as forests or grasslands, may also provide greater protection against diseases, including those that affect humans.

A larger number of mammal species in an area may curb cases of Lyme disease, while a larger number of bird species may slow the spread of West Nile virus. (more…)

Precautions for Tick-Borne Disease Extend “Beyond Lyme”

By Guest PostSeptember 7, 2012Health, Naturealcohol, bacterial infection, blacklegged tick, disease, eeid, ehrlichia, ehrlichiosis, ellen stromdahl, fever, graham hickling, hicklings research, human bite, human biting, human disease, jean tsao, lyme disease, mice, michigan, mid atlantic, mid virginia, nymphal, pathogen, rickettsiosis, sam scheiner, star ticks, state, state university, tennessee, tick, tick bite, tick borne, united states, university, white footed, wildlife

Save the tick that bites you: it may not be the one you think

This year’s mild winter and early spring were a bonanza for tick populations in the eastern United States. Reports of tick-borne disease rose fast.

While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, new research results emphasize that it is not the greatest cause for concern in most Southeastern states.

The findings are published today in a paper in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health. (more…)

What Makes Ticks Tick?

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2012Healthanaplasmosis, antibiotic therapy, apple, arthritis, babesiosis, bacterium, climate change, dengue fever, disease, durland fish, european ancestry, evolution, infectious diseases, iPhone, lyme disease, maine, malaria, michigan, minnesota, neurological problems, North America, Pennsylvania, placebo, ticks, united states, virginia, west nile virus, wisconsin

Durland Fish has researched ticks and their associated diseases for decades. A professor in the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health, he has, among other things, contributed to the discovery that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease has European ancestry and that the disease, once nearly eradicated in North America, roared back with reforestation. More recently he helped develop a Lyme disease “app” for the iPhone and other Apple devices that provides users with detailed information about tick populations in any given area in the United States and even comes with a video on how to safely remove a tick. He has also worked on mosquito-borne West Nile virus and dengue fever. Students selected Fish as the school’s mentor of the year in 2010. (more…)

Biodiversity Loss: Detrimental to Your Health

By Guest PostDecember 4, 2010Environment, Healthanimal extinctions, biodiversity, disease emergence, ecologist, ecosystems, felicia keesing, forests, global biodiversity, hantavirus, Health, infectious diseases, josh rosenthal, lyme disease, pathogens, plant, sam scheiner, species loss, transmission, west nile virus, wildlife

*Infectious diseases on the rise as species disappear*

Plant and animal extinctions are detrimental to your health.

That’s the conclusion of a paper published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature by scientists who studied the link between biodiversity and infectious diseases. (more…)

Tag Archives: lyme disease

Biodiversity Protects Against Disease, Scientists Find

Precautions for Tick-Borne Disease Extend “Beyond Lyme”

What Makes Ticks Tick?

Biodiversity Loss: Detrimental to Your Health