Gastrointestinal Diseases from Animals

In a recent study published in Molecular BioMedicine , researchers assessed the taxonomic characteristics of the intestinal (gut) microbiome in patients with active severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. They compared their findings to those at least two weeks after viral clearance and uninfected persons. Study: Alterations of the fecal microbiota in relation to acute COVID-19 infection and recovery. Image Credit: Alpha Tauri 3D Graphics/Shutterstock Background People with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience several symptoms, but all factors contributing to severe clinical outcomes remain to be understood. Several studies have demonstrated associations between the gut microbiome and the severity of COVID-19. Patients show gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and shed virus in the stools, suggesting the association of the GI tract with acute COVID-19. Humans have diverse microbes, termed the microbiome, residing in the GI ...

"Now that the world's reptiles are comprehensively assessed on the IUCN Red List, we understand in more detail than ever before how the world's reptiles are doing and what threats they are facing," said Craig Hilton-Taylor, Head of IUCN's Red List Unit . "While the results of the assessment are highly concerning, this milestone gives us reason for hope as it will guide conservation actions where they are most urgently needed." Over 900 experts from all over the world contributed to identifying extinction risk factors and mapping reptile distributions as part of the Global Reptile Assessment. Red List Partners NatureServe, Conservation International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) jointly led the global reptile assessment project. "The IUCN Red List provides the perfect standardised format for assessing extinction risk. We've already been able to compare our results to those for other vertebrate groups on the IUC...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Dick Wolfsie: Present company included! | Columns | tribstar.com    Terre Haute Tribune Star

The Red Panda Governance Standard has been introduced into Nepal to strengthen efforts to conserve the endangered species. Developed by the Red Panda Network in collaboration with one Nepali and two Australian universities, it aims to allow communities to adopt best practices for red panda conservation. Proponents say they hope that successful conservation initiatives being carried out in the country's east can be translated to the more fragmented habitats in the central and western regions of Nepal. KATHMANDU — Conservationists in Nepal have introduced a new standard for efforts to protect the red panda, in the hope of translating successful initiatives in the country's east to threatened habitats in the central and western hilly regions. The voluntary Red Panda Governance Standard, developed with the help of two Australian universities, looks at best practices for conserving the endangered species, Ailurus fulgens , and suggesting ways in which communities living with red ...

A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper. To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette  rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.

In partnership with my dear friend Pastor Jimmy and Ann Mugisha, it is our hope to raise enough money to build a sustainable Goat Farm that will ensure children are never turned away and left hungry. Jimmy founded the Shepherd's House Childcare Ministries and used his land to build and create a space where orphaned and needy children could come and receive HOPE. Hope for a better future. Shepherd's House provides shelter, food, and education. Many children in Uganda are abandoned by their parents and find their way to Shepherd's House seeking shelter and food. Times have been difficult at the Sheperd's House as the financial support they had grown accustomed has declined. Because of this many children are not able to eat. I recently learned that 202 children were not able to be fed. Pastor Jimmy shared his dream to build a sustainable Goat Farm that we believe is the long term solution to ensure no one goes hungry again. With your help we can build this...

Representatives of more than 160 governments, Parties to the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and flora (CITES), today reaffirmed their commitment to address the biodiversity crisis by adopting proposals to regulate international trade in more than 500 new species. CITES CoP19 closed in Panama today after two weeks of negotiations on the most important issues facing the trade in endangered species of animals and plants. The CoP adopted a total of 46 Proposals of the 52 put forward. This will bring species of, among others, sharks, lizards, turtles, fish, birds, frogs and more than a hundred tree species under CITES regulations, designed to ensure the sustainability of these species in the wild, while allowing their international trade and also contributing to the conservation of ecosystems and global biodiversity. The CoP also reached a record number of 365 decisions as they worked to safeguard threatened wildlife species, while at the same ...

Utah prairie dogs are making a comeback — so much so that the Division of Wildlife Resources is recommending the animal be removed from the endangered species list. The Beehive State is home to three subspecies of prairie dogs: the white-tailed prairie dog, the Gunnison's prairie dog and the Utah prairie dog. The Utah-specific subspecies has been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1973, but its current status is "threatened," meaning the species is likely to become endangered. In order to be removed from the list, the species must meet three criteria, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: the population must be considered large enough and stable to not be threatened in the foreseeable future; threats to the species must be eliminated or controlled; and mechanisms must be implemented to prevent future species decline. Its delisting is "probably, quite honestly, years away," said Kim Hersey, the mammal conservation coordinator with the DWR....

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Tractor Supply hosts Chick Days | Life | themountaineer.com    The Mountaineer

Don't freak out, but the human body — and probably your body — is swarming with tiny parasites. If we were to count every cell in your body, only about 43 percent would be human. The rest are bacteria, viruses, parasites and other single-celled organisms. Not all of them are bad guys — some can even be beneficial for your health. But one hitchhiking microbe called Toxoplasma gondii  really gets around, with around one-third of the planet encountering this tiny pathogen in their lifetimes. T. gondii isn't a virus or a bacteria. It's a protozoan, similar to the malaria parasite. In most people, T. gondii doesn't cause any problems. However, in other mammals, especially rodents, it can change the behavior of its host, causing it to approach predators like cats. The felines appreciate an easy meal and the T. gondii appreciates being able to breed in the cats' guts, spreading through its feces and repeating its life cycle. It's a real world ...

Travelers walk through terminals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, April 14, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) U.S. top infectious diseases expert Anthony S. Fauci warned RSV could become public health emergency in the United States. LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 11,200 patients in the United States were hospitalized with flu in the latest week, the highest rate in the same period of time since 2010, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal influenza activity is elevated across the country, said the CDC. Five flu-associated pediatric deaths were reported in the week ending Nov. 19. A total of 12 pediatric flu deaths have been reported so far this season, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 6.2 million flu illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations and 2,900 deaths from flu. Of influenza A viruses detected and subtyped...

What is Ebola? Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 when two consecutive outbreaks of fatal hemorrhagic fever occurred in different parts of Central Africa.  Ebola is a filovirus. Filoviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to people. Once a person is infected, filoviruses can spread from person to person through direct contact with an infected person's body fluids. Caretakers and health care providers who don't use appropriate personal protective equipment are at the highest risk of infection. Where is the current outbreak? Have there been any cases in the U.S.? On Sept. 20, 2022, The Ministry of Health of Uganda officially declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease, also known as EVD, caused by Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus) in Mubende District, Central Uganda. As of Nov. 5, 2022, a total of 132 confirmed cases of EVD have been identified in Uganda; 39% of confirmed cases have died. To date, 61 patients with confir...

Stacker compiled a list of 25 endangered animals that are only found in the United States using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species list.    25 endangered animals that only live in America 25 endangered animals that only live in America Updated Nov 22, 2022 ...