Germs that cause a so-called tropical disease make themselves at home in frosty Alaska

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: October 12, 2012

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Black-capped chickadee, shown here, stay in Fairbanks, Alaska, year-round. Some of them have been found with avian malaria, suggesting that the germ is now circulating in the far North.

Credit: Mdf/Wikipedia

Fairbanks is the second-largest city in Alaska, and according to a new study it’s also now home to malaria germs that infect birds. The finding that these germs — which thrive in warmer climates — have established themselves in North America’s northern reaches could mean trouble for local birds.

Malaria microbes are parasites, or organisms that live on or in other organisms. The parasites make their home in mosquitoes, which can then transfer the germs from bird to bird, or from person to person. (Another reason to hate mosquitoes! Thwap!)

Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Bird malaria moves north