Type E Botulism Kills Birds
Birds in the North American Great Lakes are Dying from Botulism
A 2006 Outbreak of Type E Botulism in the Great Lakes is one of the worst to date - large numbers of water birds have died.
Loons, gulls, grebes, and other fish-eating water birds are dying by the dozens in Lake Ontario. Clostridium botulinum Type E toxin is killing them. The birds probably ingest the toxin in fish: the fish either have the toxin in their tissues, or have themselves ingested something that contains the toxin. An affected bird loses the use of its feet and wings.
The toxin is produced by an anerobic (living without oxygen) bacterium, Clostridium botulinum – an organism that is always present in the environment of the Great Lakes region but which only flares up sporadically to poison fish-eating wild birds. Surveillance sweeps of sick or dead birds and other wildlife are done annually to try to keep track of outbreaks of the disease. While it’s hard on populations of water birds, and this year’s outbreak is worse than usual, it also poses a grave risk to humans who consume birds, fish, or other wildlife suffering from the toxin.
For more information on Type E Botulism in the Great Lakes region, read my article:
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