B.C. scientists discover new virus in farmed Pacific oysters during mass die-off
The paper, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said that while mass die-offs have been attributed to various factors, including viruses, in many cases, there is no definitive cause.
'We've recently seen annual mass die-offs in B.C. and elsewhere of Pacific oysters, the most widely farmed shellfish worldwide,' said first author Dr. Kevin Zhong, research associate in the UBC Department of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences (EOAS).
'Often, we don't know the cause.'
The researchers collected 33 oysters from two farms in B.C. during a mass die-off in 2020, as well as 26 wild oysters from 10 nearby sites.
Story continues below advertisement
RNA analysis revealed the presence of a previously unknown virus, Pacific Oyster Nidovirus 1 (PONV1), in 20 of the dead and dying farmed oysters, according to the research. However, the virus was not found in healthy wild oysters, which suggested the virus was killing the oysters.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'This discovery highlights how little we know about viruses infecting invertebrates in general and oysters in particular,' said senior author Dr. Curtis Suttle, professor of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences, botany, microbiology and immunology, at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
'It's important to investigate mass die-offs in oysters to determine what causes disease. Similar to humans, disease and death is not caused by a single factor, but prevention is not possible until the causes are known.'
2:09
Health Matters: Dozens sickened after eating BC oysters
The nidovirus, which is found in a wide range of animals, is only the second nidovirus found in bivalves.
Story continues below advertisement
It can be found in humans, for example, SARS-CoV-2, a nidovirus, causes COVID-19.
The virus, which has one of the largest RNA genomes on record, according to the research, is so genetically different from other nidoviruses that the research team has proposed a new family, Megarnaviridae, or 'large RNA viruses' PONV1, which the team is proposing to name Megarnavirus gigas, or 'large RNA virus giant.'
Suttle said these large RNA viruses appear to be specific to oysters, so humans are not at risk of contracting the virus.
However, the team said this discovery is a reminder that oyster farmers should use an abundance of caution when moving juvenile oysters as little is known about what causes disease in the bivalve molluscs.
'This research is not a cause for alarm,' Suttle added. 'Rather, this is a meaningful step forward in advancing our understanding of oyster health and supporting the long-term sustainability of shellfish aquaculture.'
Pacific oysters are the primary shellfish species grown in B.C., with an estimated value of $16 million in 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Child and youth care specialists can make schools safer, association says
The Child and Youth Care Workers' Association of Manitoba is calling on public schools to hire more of its members to prevent student outbursts and related staff injuries. Not unlike social workers, the professionals — many of whom have a certificate or diploma from Red River College Polytechnic — are trained in child development, relationship-building and crisis intervention. Chelsea Champagne said she and her colleagues' skill sets are well-suited for 21st-century schools, but they have long been overlooked by the education sector. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Child and Youth Care Workers' Association of Manitoba president Chelsea Champagne says her association's members could help 'create more safe space' in Manitoba schools. 'I see so much positive potential for change,' said Champagne, president of the association that advocates for roughly 2,000 child and youth care workers and support staff in Winnipeg. 'We could create more safe space in schools and we're ready to be there.' The workforce is primarily spread out across community health-care settings, group homes and juvenile corrections facilities. Champagne said practitioners build 'therapeutic relationships' with youths and their families. In doing so, they learn about what triggers behavioural challenges and build individualized plans accordingly, she said. School staff made 844 more time-loss injury claims — a 332 per cent spike — to the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba last year compared to a decade ago. An April survey of local educational assistants found seven in 10 had experienced violence on the job. Half of those respondents indicated they were subjected to it weekly, if not daily, as per the findings released by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba. Also during the spring, a Brandon-based resource teacher was conducting a similar study for her PhD; Julie Braaksma's early findings suggest student-on-teacher violence is taking place across the province and it often goes under-reported. Alan Campbell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association, said trustees are both well aware of these safety concerns and realistic that they are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Student mental-health struggles, stressful household dynamics and unmet educational needs are all 'manifesting in the form of violence,' Campbell said, noting the COVID-19 pandemic worsened matters although such issues predate 2020. 'There is a heightened need and expectation on the part of communities that schools are better equipped to support students, no matter how they, themselves, are equipped to come to school and to learn,' he said. The veteran trustee said school boards are paying closer attention to the size and makeup of their clinician teams. While some boards have added child and youth care workers to their staffing complements, budget constraints continue to prove challenging, he said. Winnipeg's River East Transcona School Division was an outlier in 2007 when it began hiring the specialists. Jón Olafson, assistant superintendent of student services, said they've since become 'an integral part' of RETSD, visiting early, middle and senior years schools to help implement student-specific plans. Nearby Louis Riel School Division established the first of its now-seven child and youth care worker positions in 2021. Administrators in the Pembina Trails School Division followed suit this year. Their roster of the staffers is slated to double, to two, in 2025-26. Champagne applauded the leaders who've embraced the professionals as the experts they are in how childhood trauma and unmet needs impact behaviours. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. What makes these practitioners different from their school social worker and psychologist colleagues is their training in real-time crisis support, she said. Champagne noted that child and youth care practitioners regularly work with the same students so they can get to know them on a personal level, help them build positive habits and prevent outbursts. 'We're not there to be EAs or TAs (teaching assistants). We're not there to teach kids. We're there to help them manage their social, emotional, behavioural needs,' she added. RRC Polytech has issued 380 diplomas since launching its two-year child and youth care program — which began as a certificate program in 1995 — about 18 years ago. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cuban animal lovers struggle to feed stray cats and dogs as economic crisis bites
HAVANA (AP) — Every afternoon, 81-year-old Nélida Pérez begins her familiar walk down the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, a procession of hungry cats trailing close behind her. For years, Pérez has taken it upon herself to feed some of the street cats that roam this part of town, which is also one of the most popular tourist spots in the Cuban capital. She once relied on her own food or restaurant donations, but as the island's economic situation worsened and tourism declined, it has become increasingly difficult to provide for them. 'I have never in my life asked anyone for a plate of food to feed my cats,' Pérez told The Associated Press. 'Now I see myself in difficulties because there is no tourism and there is an economic crisis.' Since 2020, Cuba has faced a worsening economic crisis, driven by COVID-19 shutdowns, stricter U.S. sanctions, and an internal monetary reform that triggered inflation. Although the government provides vaccines, sterilization and some free clinics, it does not have the means to provide shelter and food for street cats and dogs. While official data is unavailable, activists say that many pet lovers have turned their homes — even small apartments — into shelters, but they are struggling to keep up with the demand and provide adequate care. 'The streets will kill them,' said Bárbara Iglesias, a 51-year-old pharmacist who adopted five dogs and has rescued and found homes for a dozen others. Iglesias explained that the hardest part is getting food. A 20-kilo (44-pound) bag of dog food, which lasts one dog for about 45 days, costs around $80 — a sum that is out of reach for most. This forces people to feed animals with pig organ meat (offal), chicken parts or mince meat — which are also not easy to obtain. On top of that, annual vaccines cost about $20 and a vet visit is another $10, all while the average monthly salary on the island is only about $12. Experts say that the abandonment of animals in Cuba is a result of several factors, including rising food and medicine prices, the migration of hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the last five years, and a high mortality rate among older adults. 'People are more focused on their problems, which are numerous: Cubans don't have water, they don't have electricity, and getting food is becoming increasingly difficult,' said Annelie González, one of the leaders of the Aldameros Project, a cat colony located in a park in Havana's historic center. 'Having an animal in your care involves feeding and caring,' said González, 36, who works as a restaurant manager and spends much of her income on the cats. She and a small group of volunteers began feeding 15 cats in Aldameros Park at the beginning of the pandemic. Today, they care for more than 150. Over the years, through their own efforts and some donations, they were able to install water pumps, pens for special cases, and cages for the kittens. González points to a number that she said reveals the shocking scale of the problem: at the start of the decade, roughly three abandoned cats appeared in the park each week. This year, that figure has soared to 15 per day. Back in Old Havana, Pérez recounts with sadness how she has seen people mistreat, beat and even kill stray cats. 'As long as I'm alive and healthy, and people help me,' she vowed, 'I'll always find them something to eat.' ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Global News
13 hours ago
- Global News
The NFL has banned smelling salts. Could Canadian football follow suit?
The National Football League in the United States is banning the use of smelling salts during games, saying the products aren't proven to be safe and also could mask signs of a concussion. Sniffing the ammonia product is thought to give players a short-term mental boost. While the Canadian Football League isn't making the same decision right now — in the middle of the season, it is on their minds. 'The Medical Committee will review the literature and consult with league physicians in the off-season during Medical Meetings in Edmonton next January before determining a course of action,' the CFL said in a memo to Global News. In Edmonton, Elks defensive lineman Jake Ceresna said he started using smelling salts in college and now he, along with many others Elks players, take a whiff from a team bottle before kickoff. Story continues below advertisement It just feels like you kind of wake up, if you're a little tired or if the moment is big and you're a little anxious, it wakes you up and gets you ready to go,' Ceresna said on Wednesday. He hopes players will have a say in whatever direction the CFL goes in. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Ceresna said while smelling salts are part of his pregame ritual, it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were banned — he says it's just something players would have to get used to. 'We're always concerned with player safety and their health, so if there is research that shows that they have negative effects and they can mask concussions, then maybe it's time we look at it in the off-season.' 'Obviously it's something where we have to look at the science and see what's best.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Obviously it's something where we have to look at the science and see what's best." 2:03 Sport-related concussion symptoms still present one year later, researchers find The NFL sent a memo to teams on Tuesday explaining the decision to ban smelling salts and any other ammonia inhalant during pregame activities, games and halftime on the sideline or locker rooms. Story continues below advertisement 'In 2024, the FDA issued a warning to companies that produce commercially available ammonia inhalants (AIs), as well as to consumers about the purchase and use of AIs, regarding the lack of evidence supporting the safety or efficacy of AIs marketed for improving mental alertness or boosting energy,' according to the memo obtained by The Associated Press. 'The FDA noted potential negative effects from AI use. AIs also have the potential to mask certain neurologic signs and symptoms, including some potential signs of concussion. As a result, the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee recommended prohibiting the use of AIs for any purpose during play in the NFL.' San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle first disclosed the ban during an interview with NFL Network on Tuesday, adding that he hoped the league would relent and 'figure out a middle ground.' That won't happen, according to the memo, which explicitly prohibits any club personnel from providing or supplying products such as ammonia capsules, inhalers, ammonia in a cup, and any form of 'smelling salts.' Smelling salts and other similar products have been a staple on NFL sidelines for years with many players believing they can provide a sudden jolt of energy or alertness. — With files from Karen Bartko and Sarah Ryan, Global News
