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Status of Disease in the Emperor Penguins of Auster Rookery

Entry ID: ASAC_2954

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Summary

Abstract: Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2954.
See the link below for public details on this project.

Public
The primary goal of this project is to determine the status and origin of diseases in Emperor Penguins at Auster Rookery near Mawson Station, Antarctica. We will investigate the origins of such disease and the role humans may have played. We will sample adults and chicks in order to ...

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Download point for the data

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Public information for ASAC project 2954

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Download point for the publications - AAD only

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Citation reference for this metadata record and dataset.

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: -67.6

S: -67.61

E: 62.88

W: 62.87

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2007-09-30

Stop Date: 2008-03-31

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Science Keywords

BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > BIRDS > PENGUINS
BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > VIRUSES

ISO Topic Category

BIOTA

Platform

FIELD SURVEYS

LABORATORY

FIELD INVESTIGATION

Quality Values provided in temporal and spatial coverage are approximate only.

Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report:
Field work:
Field work was completed in the 2008 winter at Mawson Station. All the sample collections took place at Auster Emperor Penguin Colony 60 kms ENE of Mawson Station. The 3 formal sampling periods were: 1) 16-31 May 2008, 100 adults; 2) 1-16 August 2008 ... 200 adults (hopefully 100 males and 100 females; 3) 28 Aug - 2 Sept 2008, 100 young chicks; 4) 16-27 November, 100 adults (mixed sexes) and 100 chicks. In addition, we visited the colony for checks on mortality every week.

The field work progressed smoothly and almost exactly to schedule. each sampling period had one-half to 2 days delays or interruptions due to weather. Sampling was completed on 27 November 2008 and we departed Mawson on 9 December with all samples frozen or preserved.

Laboratory activity/analysis:
During the winter at Mawson, we sampled the yolks of 100 abandoned eggs for future analysis for maternal antibodies and/or stable isotope profiles. In addition, we conducted field (lab-based) necropsies on 120 chicks and 9 adults which were collected as carcasses. In doing those, we collected bursa and spleen tissues from the chicks to be used to attempt virus isolation of IBDV.

Now, all the blood serum and swab samples have been returned to Australia. sets of sample shave been sent to colleagues for separate analyses. Our expectation is for:

1) IBDV extraction and RT-PCR sequence analysis to be completed by late 2009 by Dr. Daral Jackwood, Ohio State University.
2) Serology on blood serum samples for IBD, Newcastle disease, avian influenza to be conducted by Dr Gary Miller (co-CI) at WA Department of Agriculture virology lab by the end of 2009.
3) Stable isotope analyses of blood samples to investigate food resources will be conducted by Dr. Mark Hindell, UTas by late 2009
4) Targeted search for specific bacterial pathogens in samples using PCR to be conducted by Dr Gary Miller by the end of 2009.
5) Final collation and analysis of all observational data (mortalities, colony counts, subject weights and measurements etc) to be completed by late 2009.

Difficulties affecting project:
Potentially serious problems did occur with shipping conditions for samples. We were meant to leave Mawson Station in mid-December on the Aurora Australis which has adequate freezers on board to cope with our -70 sample requirements. Then the scheduled changed to a departure form Davis with a helicopter (or by CASA aircraft) link to Davis. Resupply to Mawson to be completed by the Amderma--a Russian ship with no laboratory facilities or ultracold freezers. That forced us to transport the samples from Mawson to Davis by helicopter before departing on the AA. I believe we worked this out satisfactorily, but the shipping was not up to the standard that we should expect. We needed more cargo space to move the samples in a dry shipper--the best way to transport samples at -70-- or facilities to produce dry ice on station to ship the samples in conventional eskies.

Access Constraints These data are publicly available for download from the provided URL.

Copies of the referenced publications are available for download to AAD staff only from the provided URL.

Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_2954 when using these data.

Ancillary Keywords

Emperor Penguins

virus

influenza

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Data Center

Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC Phone: +61 3 6232 3244 Fax: +61 3 6232 3351 Email: metadata at aad.gov.au Contact Address: Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway City: Kingston Province or State: Tasmania Postal Code: 7050 Country: Australia

Distribution

Distribution Media: HTTP

Distribution Size: 8 MB

Distribution Format: Excel, Word, Powerpoint

Fees: Free

Distribution Media: HTTP

Distribution Size: 13 MB

Distribution Format: pdf

Fees: Free

Personnel

GEOFF SHELLAM

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +61 8 9346 2050

Fax: +61 8 9346 2912

Email: gshellam at cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Contact Address:

Department of Microbiology

The Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre

University of Western Australia

City: Nedlands

Province or State: Western Australia

Postal Code: 6009

Country: Australia

ALICJA MOSBAUER

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: +61 3 6221 5038 (international)

Phone: (03) 6221 5038 (within Australia)

Fax: +61 3 6221 5050 (international)

Fax: (03) 6221 5050 (within Australia)

Email: Alicja.Mosbauer at oceans.gov.au

Contact Address:

National Oceans Office

GPO Box 2139

City: Hobart

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7000

Country: AUSTRALIA

Publications/References

Woods R., Jones H.I., Watts J., Miller G.D., Shellam G.R. (2009), Diseases of Antarctic seabirds, In: Kerry K.R., Riddle M.J. Health of Antarctic Wildlife: A Challenge for Science and Policy, 35-56

Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2008-02-24

Last DIF Revision Date: 2011-12-19

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