BOTULISM, AVIAN - USA (05): (CALIFORNIA)
****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Thu 10 Nov 2011
Source: The Orange County Register [edited] <http://www.ocregister.com/news/dead-326223-birds-botulism.html>
Wildlife experts and rescuers are fearful that more ducks and migratory birds will fall victim to botulism after several duck carcasses found in south county lakes tested positive for the deadly toxin.
Three dead duck bodies analyzed by a state laboratory have tested positive for botulism, said Dr David Kieltyka staff veterinarian at OC Animal Care [Orange County], who is coordinating communication and a protocol for the appropriate treatment of the duck die-off.
The 3 mallards -- one found in Lake Forest and 2 found at the Moulton Niguel Water District -- were tested in San Bernardino at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. The tests follow a large die-off of nearly 100 dead and dying mallards since 1 Sep [2011] at the Village Pond Park in Lake Forest and in nearby lakes of the Lake Forest Community Association. An earlier test performed by the Orange County Vector Control District at the same test was inconclusive on botulism but ruled out vector borne illnesses, Jared Dever, a spokesman with the district said in early October [2011].
In addition to the nearly 100 ducks in Lake Forest, more dead and dying waterfowl have been fished out of the lake at the Laguna Niguel Regional Park and found in the surrounding bushes and vegetation.
Reports of dead ducks also came in from decorative ponds at the Moulton Niguel Water District in Laguna Niguel.
Kristi Jolliffe, who 2 years ago [2009] helped fish out at least 130 ducks killed by botulism at the regional park, has rescued dead and dying birds out of ponds at Moulton Niguel Water District also in Laguna Niguel as recently as Tuesday [8 Nov 2011]. "I saw a sick male mallard and I asked someone to go out on the boat and catch it," she said about a rescue effort last week [week of 7 Nov 2011]. "I went on the boat to help. While trying to catch the mallard I found 13 dead waterfowl all in different stages of decomposition. Some just bones, some with maggots and some dead less than 24 hours."
Jolliffe has found 29 ducks at the water district since last week [week of 7 Nov 2011], she said. 4 are recovering at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. OC Parks spokeswoman Marisa O'Neill confirmed there have been 16 dead ducks at the regional park.
Sick birds from Lake Forest and Laguna Niguel have been taken to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
Now, duck rescuers are gearing up for possible migratory birds that might get sick. American Widgeons, redhead, and ruddy ducks and Canada Geese are expected to come into the area over the next several months peaking in December [2011] and January [2012].
Since September [2011], city officials, OC Animal Care officials, and representatives from Orange County Vector Control District have received reports of the dead and dying water fowl. OC Animal Care officers have picked up dead birds and Vector Control performed a test on one duck that in early October [2011] came back as inconclusive on botulism. The mass die-off left wildlife, rescuers and officials frustrated and looking for answers.
Questions -- such as what agency should be contacted, what are rescuers supposed to do with the sick and/or dead, who is responsible for transporting the birds and who arranges for testing deemed necessary -- have been raised.
Since late October [2011] Kieltyka, the OC Animal Care vet, has become the point person. He is working to coordinate communication and develop an appropriate protocol. "We want to reach out and have better communication," he said. "Rather than getting reports of dead ducks here and there, I want to spot things earlier and oversee the protocol."
Debbie McGuire, director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, worries about the effects of botulism on the expected hundreds of migratory birds. "I'm concerned that we break the cycle of botulism and that we do this by disposing of the carcasses correctly," she said referring to information that dead ducks were being dumped into trash containers at Laguna Niguel Regional Park. "One way we do this is by not dumping them into the trash. What they need to do is incinerate them or bury them 6 feet [2 m] deep in the ground. We can break the cycle if the carcasses are removed and the sick birds are treated immediately."
O'Neill said dumping the birds in bundles into the trash is a normal disposal method at the park unless rangers are directed to do something else. Now, she said, officials at OC Animal Care have asked for the dead birds to be sent to them.
McGuire and technicians at the Huntington Beach center are preparing for possibly more birds but need help from the affected cities and agencies. Each bird treated costs about USD 125.
McGuire points to a massive pelican die-off in early 2000 at the Salton Sea where botulism affected hundreds of brown pelicans. The bodies there were burned in huge pyres to break the cycle of the toxin. She is also hopeful that cold weather helps stem the botulism outbreak.
[Byline: Erika I Ritchie]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The state of California can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/1r1d>. Orange County can be seen on the map at <http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/california.shtml>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
[Avian botulism is a paralytic disease caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by a bacterium, _Clostridium botulinum_. The bacteria are found in soil as spores and require warm temperatures, a protein source, and an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment in order to become active and produce toxin. Decomposing vegetation and invertebrates combined with warm temperatures can provide ideal conditions for the botulism bacteria to proliferate and produce toxin.
Birds either ingest the toxin directly or may eat invertebrates (such as maggots) containing the toxin. Invertebrates are not affected by the toxin and store it in their body. A cycle develops in a botulism outbreak when fly larvae (maggots), feed on animal carcasses and ingest toxin. The toxin causes paralysis because it affects the nervous system by preventing impulse transmission to muscles, which eventually results in death.
Prompt removal and proper disposal of carcasses by burial or burning (in accordance with applicable ordinances) is highly effective in removing toxin and maggot sources from the environment. However, it should be taken into account that outbreaks of botulism in wild aquatic birds are a natural phenomenon in North America. Yearly, the risk of an outbreak is high from September to November, and then drops and remains low during the winter. If possible, avoid altering water depth by flooding or drawing down water levels during hot weather.
This may increase invertebrate and fish die-offs, a protein source for the bacteria. For more information see ProMED-mail post 20111009.3031.
Portions of this comment were extracted from <http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/chapter_38.pdf>. - Mod.PMB]
[see also:
Botulism, avian - USA (04): (NV) 20111009.3031 Botulism, avian - USA (03): (CO) 20110925.2905 Botulism, avian - USA (02): (CO) 20110924.2888 Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (08): (CA) botulism susp.
20110923.2878
Botulism, avian - USA: (CO) 20110914.2797 2010
----
Botulism, avian - USA (05): (FL) susp. 20100817.2848 Botulism, avian - USA (04): (OH) 20100718.2407 Botulism, avian - USA (03): (CA) 20100709.2294 Botulism - USA: canned tuna, risk, recall 20100708.2280 Botulism, avian - USA (02): (CO) 20100627.2145 Botulism, avian - USA: (MI) susp 20100618.2047] .................................................sb/pmb/mj/mpp/ll
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted or archived material.
0 comments:
Post a Comment