USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report July 2005 to September 2005 |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
AK |
Cape Glazenap and Operl Island |
07/20/05-08/07/05 |
Short-Tailed Shearwater, Fulmar, Glaucous Gull, Common Murre, Unidentified
Kittiwake
|
149 |
Emaciation |
NW |
AZ |
Lakeview and Flagstaff |
07/04/05-07/22/05 |
Red Crossbill, Lesser GoldFinch, Pine Siskin, Mourning Dove, |
20 |
Salmonellosis |
NW |
CA |
Alameda NWR, Alameda Point |
06/03/05-08/25/05 |
California Least Tern |
274 |
Undetermined |
|
CA |
Delevan NWR and Sacramento NWR |
07/10/05-10/20/05 |
Mallard, American White Pelican |
320 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
CA |
Lake Isabella |
08/12/05-09/15/05 |
Clark's Grebe, Western Grebe |
1,000(e) |
Open |
|
CA |
Sacramento NWR |
07/01/05-07/20/05 |
House Finch, American GoldFinch |
15 |
Viral Infection: WNV suspect |
NW |
CA |
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains |
07/25/05-08/15/05 |
Bighorn Sheep |
7 |
Bronchopneumonia |
CAF |
CA |
Tule Lake NWR |
08/09/05-10/05/05 |
Gadwall, American Coot, Mallard, Scaup, Lesser Pintail |
1447 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
DE |
Woodland Beach Wildlife Area |
08/12/05-08/14/05 |
Semipalmated Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs |
10 (e) |
Toxicosis: suspect |
NW |
GA |
Brunswick, |
07/03/05-07/28/05 |
Canada Goose |
24 (e) |
Open |
SCW |
ID |
Lewiston |
04/01/05-06/30/05 |
Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin |
28 |
Salmonellosis |
ID |
IN |
Hammond, George Lake |
09/01/05-09/23/05 |
Mallard, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover |
60 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW, PUL |
MA |
Monomoy NWR South Monomoy Is. |
07/23/05-09/01/05 |
Common Tern |
2,600 (e) |
Salmonellosis |
NW, TU |
MD |
City Yacht Basin, Havre de Grace |
08/08/05-09/30/05 |
Mallard, Unidentified Gull, Canada goose, Great Blue Heron |
136 (e) |
Botulism type C |
MD, NW |
MD |
Coaches & Poplar Islands, Chesapeake Bay |
09/14/05-12/01/05 |
Great Blue Heron |
20 |
Steatitis |
NW |
MD |
Poplar Island, Chesapeake Bay |
08/15/05-12/01/05 |
Laughing Gull, Common Tern, Unidentified Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Mute Swan |
40(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
ME |
Acadia NP |
07/11/05-07/24/05 |
Wood Frog, Green Frog |
50 (e) |
Viral Infection: Ranavirus |
NW |
MI |
Townsend Park, near Grand Rapids |
08/20/05-10/15/05 |
White-Tailed Deer |
15 (e) |
Eastern equine encephalitis |
MSU |
MN |
Lac Qui Parle |
07/02/05-08/15/05 |
American White Pelican |
1,800 (e) |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NW |
MN |
Lake Superior |
09/07/05-09/07/05 |
Unidentified Warbler, White-Throated, Swainsons Thrush |
100 (e) |
Trauma: weather |
MN |
MN |
Mud Lake |
09/01/05-09/20/05 |
Mallard , Teal - Blue-Winged, American Coot, Teal - Green-Winged, Unidentified |
900 (e) |
Botulism suspect |
MNS |
MT |
Bowdoin NWR |
06/30/05-09/30/05 |
Wigeon, American Eared Grebe, American Coot, Teal - Green-Winged |
35 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
MT |
Medicine Lake NWR |
06/23/05-08/18/05 |
American White Pelican |
300 (e) |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NW |
MT |
Stinger Creek |
09/01/05-09/07/05 |
Northern Leopard Frog |
3 (e) |
Open |
NW |
ND |
Chase Lake NWR |
06/17/05-08/23/05 |
American White Pelican |
1,500 (e) |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NW |
ND |
Horsehead Lake |
07/18/05-08/29/05 |
Ring-Billed Gull, Eared Grebe, NOS Sandpiper, American Coot, Franklin's Gull |
186 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
ND |
Lake Sakakawea |
07/25/05-07/25/05 |
Common Tern |
13 (e) |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NW |
NE |
Keith County, Lake McConaughty |
09/19/05-09/25/05 |
Teal - Green-Winged |
200 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
NV |
Anaho Island NWR |
08/09/05-09/15/05 |
Double-Crested Cormorant, American White Pelican |
130 (e) |
Newcastle Disease Virus |
NW, NVL |
NV |
Humboldt Sink |
07/21/05-09/06/05 |
American White Pelican |
45 |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NV, NW |
NV |
Las Vegas Valley |
06/01/05-09/12/05 |
Duck, Unidentified, American Coot, White-Faced Ibis, Killdeer, Black-Necked Stilt |
102 |
Botulism type C |
CAF |
OH |
Grigg's Reservoir Park, Columbus |
09/10/05-09/15/05 |
Hybrid, Domestic, Mallard |
10 (e) |
Botulism suspect |
NW |
OH |
Grigg's Reservoir Park, Columbus |
07/15/05-08/15/05 |
Mallard Hybrid, Domestic duck |
30 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
OH |
Urbana City Park, Urbana |
08/13/05-08/19/05 |
Hybrid, Domestic duck, Canada Goose |
15(e) |
Botulism suspect |
NW |
OR |
Coastal Beach 2 miles South of Newport |
07/10/05-10/31/05 |
Common Murre, Brandt's Cormorant |
360 |
Emaciation |
NW |
SD |
Bitter Lake, Waubay NWR |
07/06/05-08/18/05 |
American White Pelican |
1,000 (e) |
Viral Infection: West Nile virus |
NW |
UT |
Bear River MBR |
07/25/05-09/15/05 |
Duck, Unidentified, Pintail, American Avocet, White-Faced Ibis, Mallard |
6,000 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
VA |
Byrd Park, Richmond |
07/25/05-08/19/05 |
Mallard, Canada goose, Unidentified, Domestic Or Hybrid Goose |
26 |
Botulism suspect |
VA |
VA |
Cedar Island |
08/10/05-08/25/05 |
Laughing Gull, Black Skimmer, Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Black-Bellied Plover |
100 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW, VA |
WA |
Ocean Shores |
07/15/05-ongoing |
Alaskan Sea Otter |
3 |
Parasitism: Protozoal encephalitis |
NW |
WA |
Pend Oreille River Between Usk and Cusick |
07/01/05-08/01/05 |
Double-Crested Cormorant |
25 (e) |
Starvation |
WAS |
WI |
Appleton |
08/23/05-09/15/05 |
Mallard |
60 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW, WVL |
WI |
Channel 15, NWHC |
09/14/05-09/14/05 |
Ovenbird, Black and White Warbler, Unidentified Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler |
400 (e) |
Trauma: tower strike |
NW |
WI |
Green Bay |
07/25/05-09/01/05 |
Double-Crested Cormorant, American White Pelican |
20 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW, WI |
WI |
Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area |
09/23/05-ongoing |
Shoveler, Teal - Green-Winged, Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood, Teal - Blue-Winged |
60 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
WI |
Horicon NWR |
07/15/05-08/08/05 |
Mallard, Wood, Teal - Blue-Winged, Teal - Green-Winged, Unidentified |
5,600 (e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
WI |
Lake Onalaska, Upper Miss NWR |
08/30/05-ongoing |
American Coot, Scaup Lesser, Teal - Blue-Winged, Ring-Necked; Mallard |
4,350 (e) |
Parasitism: Cyathocotyle bushiensis and Sphaerioiotrema globulus |
NW |
WI |
Nelson Lake |
09/22/05-09/26/05 |
American Coot |
10 |
Trauma: gunshot |
NW |
WI |
W. of Fredonia |
07/27/05-07/27/05 |
Canada Goose |
10 |
Open: toxicosis |
NW, WI |
WY |
Lodge Creek Lagoon |
08/25/05-09/09/05 |
Columbia Spotted Frog |
41 (e) |
Fungal Infection chytrid |
NW |
WY |
Yellowstone NP, Gibbon Meadows |
06/30/05-06/30/05 |
Western Toad |
2 |
Viral Infection (suspect): Iridovirus |
NW |
WY |
Yellowstone NP, near Tanager Lake |
07/15/05-08/01/05 |
Columbia Spotted Frog |
100 (e) |
Viral Infection (suspect): Iridovirus |
NW |
Updates and Corrections: |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
FL |
Atlantic coast/beaches Orange, Nassau, St. Johns, Volusia, Brevard Co.'s |
06/09/05-08/01/05 |
Greater Shearwater, Unidentified Gull, NOS Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Unidentified Tern |
734 |
Starvation |
FMR, NMF, NW, SCW, UFL |
WA |
Yakima, Selah, and Tieton |
05/31/05-06/30/05 |
Evening Grosbeak |
234 |
Salmonellosis |
NW, WA |
(e) = estimate; * = morbidity, not mortality
California Animal Health FS Laboratory Network (CAF), Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FL),
Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL (FMR), Idaho Wildlife Health Laboratory,
Boise, Idaho (ID), Maryland Diagnostic Laboratory (MD), Michigan State University (MSU), Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (MNS), Nevada Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (NV), National
Veterinary Services Laboratory, Ames, IA (NVL), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMF), Purdue
University Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (PUL), Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife
Disease Study, Athens, GA (SCW), Tufts, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TU), USGS
National Wildlife Health Center (NW), University of Florida (UFL), Virginia Game and Fish
(VA), Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVL), Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
(WI), Washing Department of Fish and Wildlife (WAS),
and Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WA)
Written and compiled by Rex Sohn -Western US, Kathryn Converse- Central
US, Grace McLaughlin - Eastern US, NWHC. The Quarterly Wildlife Mortality
Report is available at http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov. To report mortality or
receive information about this report, contact the above NWHC staff, or for
Hawaiian Islands contact Thierry Work. Phone: (608) 270-2400, FAX: (608) 270-2415 or e-mail: kathy_converse@usgs.gov.
USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711.
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Quarterly Mortality Reports |
White Pelican Mortality due to West Nile Virus
In late July 2005 wildlife biologists from the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service began observing sick and dead American white pelicans at saline
wetlands in western Nevada. Over 90% of the pelicans observed were adults
and 45 affected pelicans were picked up at the wetlands through early September.
Sick birds were lethargic and lacked muscle coordination. Oral swabs from seven birds
were confirmed positive for West Nile virus (WNV) by the State of Nevada WNV surveillance
system. Subsequently, two of three adult pelicans submitted to the NWHC for diagnostic
evaluation were positive for WNV by virus isolation. Significant mortality of juvenile American white pelicans also continued for the fourth consecutive year in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota colonies. Similarly, mortality first noted in late June and July, continued until the birds fledged in August. Banding and surveillance data are being analyzed to determine the overall losses and fledging success in these colonies. There is concern that continued annual WNV mortality will have a negative impact on this species. If histopathology links the pelican mortality in Nevada to WNV, it will be the first reported mortality event involving primarily adult white pelicans.
Newcastle Disease in Nevada Double-crested Cormorants
During routine colonial nesting bird surveys at Anaho Island NWR on 8/16/06, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service biologists discovered 10 dead and 3 sick double-crested cormorant
fledglings at a nesting colony with an estimated population of 2,000 cormorants. The sick
fledglings, which showed some degree of flaccid paralysis and hemorrhage from the mouth,
were euthanized and submitted to the NWHC. Hemagglutination inhibition tests identified
virus isolates as NDV. Samples of the viruses were sent to the USDA National Veterinary
Services Lab, which confirmed the identification as NDV and determined that the isolates
were highly pathogenic for chickens. NVSL conducted genetic analysis of the virus isolates
and reported that they were different from the NDV strain that affected domestic poultry
in southern California, Nevada and Texas in 2002 and 2003. However, the viruses were
determined to have a high genetic homology with strains
isolated from double-crested cormorants in the United States since 1992.
Botulism type C at Bear River MBR
From late July to mid-September U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel
picked up the carcasses of approximately 6,000 waterbirds from a 1,800 acre
wetland management unit at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge at the Northeast
edge of the Great Salt Lake. The primary species involved were dabbling ducks
and small wading birds. Ducks that were submitted to the NWHC in early August
were positive for botulism type C toxin. The birds were negative for West Nile
virus by virus isolation. Bear River MBR has a history of major botulism die-offs
tracing back to the early part of the twentieth century. No significant mortality
due to botulism type C has been documented since 1997 and 1998; More than 500,000 birds
were estimated dead in 1997 and 10,627 birds were picked up in 1998.
Trematodiasis at Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin (UMNWR).
Blue wing teal began succumbing to trematodiasis in late August, the first time the small puddle
ducks have been involved in the seven recurring outbreaks at the UMNWR since Fall 2002. Mortality
attributed to infection by two tiny flukes, Sphaeridiotrema globulus and Cyathocotyle bushiensis,
had its earliest start yet for waterfowl in their fall migration period. By the end of August,
nearly 200 teal and about two dozen other dabbling ducks, including mallards, shovelers, pintail
and black ducks, had been found dead. The birds were feeding in wild rice beds in an area of UMNWR
where mortality from the trematodes had not previously been recorded. Carcasses of each species found
were submitted to the NWHC for necropsies. Ongoing research on the distribution of invertebrates on the
UMRNWR and in nearby waterways will help to determine if the non-native faucet snail, Bithynia tentaculata,
which can act as both primary and secondary host to the flukes, is increasing its range in the Mississippi River.
Monitoring of later-arriving coots and diving ducks will provide data for comparison to die-offs in previous years.
For additional information please contact Dr. Scott Wright,
USGS National Wildlife Health Center - Disease Investigations Branch Chief, at 608-270-2460 or
Paul Slota, USGS National Wildlife Health Center - Support Services
Branch Chief at 608-270-2420.
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