The Lubin Files

Coffee rust outbreak in Central America

Coffee rust has broken out in Central America and Mexico.  This disease, caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, generally does not kill coffee plants but devastates coffee crops by the defoliation it causes.  The latest outbreak may halve the harvest in the areas most severely affected in Costa Rica.

Coffee rust is generally contained through the use of fungicides and crossbreading of resistant coffee plants, but serious attention and time are not always given to this task. Both Colombia and Brazil are working to develop and maintain resistant coffee strains through crossbreeding, but new resistant varieties must continually be developed.

The CABI Distribution Map of Hemileia vastatrix is available to FAO staff through the CAB Abstracts database.  In Cab Abstracts, search for the name of the disease + "distribution map" in the title field. Click on the "CAB database pdfs" link in the box in the top right corner of the results page in order to access the map.

For more information on the current coffee rust outbreak, read the article published in Nature on January 30th.

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Suddenly summer is here. Warm weather brings with it the arrival of those irritating Tiger Mosquitos. I was curious to find out more about these little creatures, some of whom are now blood stains on the wall. The Comune di Roma has several informative web-pages, including suggestions of all the things we can do to help control the infestation listed in the Ordinanza. But I wanted to know more about the presence of the Aedes Albopictus in Italy. I turned to that excellent database CAB Abstracts and did an Advanced Search which lets me combine search terms. I found just what I wanted in PARASSITOLOGIA Volume 50, No. 1 June 2008 p. 97-132, and it is in English.

Swine flu articles

In light of the current alert for H1N1 (swine flu) issued by the World Health Organization and the public health emergency declared by the United States government, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) has made related research articles available for free online to assist with research on this topic.

Twelve research articles published within the past 6 months are now freely available online.  All PNAS articles are accessible at no charge after 6 months.

PPR in Morocco

The Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) appeared in Morocco for the first time in 2008.  The disease expanded quickly.  By August 4, 2008, 92 outbreaks were reported by the veterinary services of Morocco.

Read, "Death takes the Poor Man's Cow" in the "Handpicked" blog.
See also the Emergency Prevention Systems Watch (FAO) report on PPR, published in 2008.

How to spread bird flu

An article in Down to Earth reports on how authorities in West Bengal were caught unawares, failing to detect avian influenza before it assumed threatening proportions.  Partial electronic access to Down to Earth is available;  the print copy is available to FAO staff in the library Reading Room.

Bluetongue Catch-22

Bluetongue disease could be about to explode in Europe this year, as temperatures begin to surpass 15 degrees Celsius.

Many EU countries find themselves facing a "catch-22" scenario, in which they must permit entrance of animals from infected areas if they vaccinate against the disease, and cannot vaccinate against it if they elect to keep their borders closed.

Read "Europe stuck with bluetongue catch-22" on p. 12 of the New Scientist from 8 March, 2008.  This issue is available in the library reading room.

Scientists shed light on SARS virus cell entry

A new study reveals the most likely route by which the SARS virus enters host cells, paving the way for future development of drugs that block viral invasion...

Read the rest of this news article here.

Find the referenced study here. (Available to FAO staff via library subscription to Nature)

Avian and pandemic influenza: the FAO response

New FAO publication available on CD-ROM:

Avian and pandemic influenza: the FAO response. A selection of material

Abstract:  Over the last four years, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the H5N1 subtype have spread from Asia to Europe , the Middle East and Africa , causing severe disease in poultry and humans. In those four years, numerous meetings have been organised and studies carried out on specific aspects of the disease, the socioeconomic impact of the disease on households and communities, the threat of a pandemic, and the communication strategies needed to reduce the risk of disease in animals and humans.

In late June 2007, FAO, OIE and WHO, in collaboration with UNICEF and the UN System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC), organised a Technical Workshop to consolidate information on achievements and opinion derived from earlier work on the disease, examine contentious technical issues relating to disease control and, where possible, achieve consensus on the technical issues surrounding the prevention and control of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza and human pandemic influenza preparedness.

The report of that meeting is presented in this CD-ROM along with other reports, strategies, manuals, guidelines and key documents, as a contribution to the continuing debate on HPAI H5N1. It highlights the recommendations and conclusions from the workshop with the greatest policy relevance, and provides background briefing on the current status of HPAI control and the issues that need to be considered in moving towards longer term support for infected countries and for countries that are not yet prepared for emergence of a novel human pandemic virus.

Avian flu blog from Indonesia

I just discovered this blog kept by Stacie Lawson, who is working on FAO's Avian Influenza Control Programme in Indonesia.

It's called Flu Burung.

Chikungunya conquers the Swiss Alps

Aedes albopictus, a mosquito that can carry the chikungunya and dengue fever viruses has been identified north of the Swiss Alps. In response, the Swiss health ministry plans to make chikungunya, which was described for the first time in Tanzania in 1952, a mandatory reportable disease from next year... (full posting from the CABI Handpicked blog)

Nearly 300 cases of the disease have been reported in Italy, which has never seen outbreaks of this kind before.  (from Nationalgeographic.com).