Hello All. I was asked, in very short order, to develop an undergraduate topics course that looks at infectious diseases in plant and/or animal communities that have an underlying human cause. I want to develop as many of these topics as I can and find research papers that we can discuss in class. For example one topic I have been thinking about include the introduction of Chestnut Blight into North America and its impact on the American Chestnut and associated ecosystems. Part of what we would like to do is evaluate disease impact and investigate the known or suspected human evaluating both the claim and the impact of the disease. I been thinking about marine systems as well. A couple that I have thought about include, potentially Abalone Withering Syndrome and Coral diseases provided I can find papers on both the disease and the suspected link to human activity. So I ask A) If you know of any such papers (especially on Abalone Disease) I would greatly appreciate references that I can chase down and B) If you have any other suggested topics that I can pursue. If you are aware of diseases that are the result of intentional or accidental release, acidification or other forms of pollution, or suspected connections to global warming I would indeed be very grateful. I have a few other topics including distemper in wild animals, frog declines linked to fungal infections with suspected human links, a few other fungal infections linked to plant communities, Malarial infections in birds (Hawaii), and a half dozen other topics. I've always appreciated the leads I've gotten from this group. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Doug Stemke ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------