[quote]A virus that can kill great tits was brought into the UK by insects, scientists believe.
The disease was first found in south-east England in 2006, but has spread rapidly around the country.
A new study shows the strain originated in Scandinavia or Central Europe and was probably carried across the Channel by biting insects, such as mosquitoes.
The findings have been published in three papers in the journal Plos One.
"The lesions can be very severe," said Dr Becki Lawson, a veterinarian from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
The virus is a form of avian pox, which is a skin disease.
Avian pox usually infects birds such as house sparrows, dunnocks and starlings.
But genetic analysis revealed that the strain hitting great tits in the UK is a different form of the virus, which originated in Europe.
Dr Lawson said: "It is more likely to be an insect vector, such as a mosquito, either moved by man or by wind-borne spread."
The study charted the movement of the disease across the country. Since it arrived, it has spread across central England, Wales and some cases are suspected in Scotland.[/quote]
[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20425314]** UNEDITED SOURCE**[/url]
Noooo! Our great massive tits are threatened!
Tits as in boobies? as in things that are on human females?
Misleading title, I thought the virus would cause women to have great tits.
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Parus_major_2_Luc_Viatour.jpg/250px-Parus_major_2_Luc_Viatour.jpg[/t]
[IMG]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/fanaticcook/BlueFootedBoobies6.jpg[/IMG]
This pair of boobies fear for their lives..
So, insects are to blame for breast cancer.
Solution: ERADICATE ALL INSECTS
Will this kill the great tits that are running the country?!
the only reason this thread/news article exists in anything besides in anyone's news-feed besides someone in a certain field of biology is because "hurdurr tits"; because I'm sure there are worse things happening to animals that don't get newsfeeds.
not that the title wasn't golden.
I don't think anyone is going to take this thread seriously...
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