Publications

Heartworm in swans and geese is caused by a filarial nematode or a roundworm of the superfamily Filarioidea which is transmitted to the bird by a biting louse. The nematode and the louse both are parasites. Sarconema eurycerca is the only one of several species of microfilaria or the first stage juvenile of the parasite found in the circulating blood of waterfowl that is known to be...

Avian salmonellosis is caused by a group of bacteria of the genus salmonella. Approximately 2,300 different strains of salmonellae have been identified, and these are placed into groupings called “serovars” on the basis of their antigens or substances that induce immune response by the host, such as the production of specific antibody to the antigen. Current taxonomic nomenclature...

Aspergillosis is a respiratory tract infection caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, of which A. fumigatus is the primary species responsible for infections in wild birds (Fig. 13.1). Aspergillosis is not contagious (it will not spread from bird to bird), and it may be an acute, rapidly fatal disease or a more chronic disease. Both forms of the disease are commonly seen in free...

Lead poisoning of waterfowl is neither a new disease nor a subject without controversy. The use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting within the United States has been prohibited and efforts are underway to ban the use of lead fishing sinkers and prohibit the use of lead shot for nonwaterfowl hunting. The first documented reports within the United States of lead-poisoned waterfowl were from...

Hematologic and serum chemistry values are reported for 105 brown boobies (Sula leucogaster) from Johnston Atoll, Central Pacific. Hematocrit, estimated total plasma solids, total and differential white cell counts, serum glucose, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatinine phosphokinase were analyzed. Hematologic and serum...

Free-ranging wild birds are afflicted with numerous other parasites that occasionally cause illness and death. Some of these parasites, such as two of the trematodes or flukes highlighted below, can cause major die-offs. This section about parasitic diseases concludes with descriptions of some additional parasites that field biologists may encounter in wild birds. This listing is by no...

Avian botulism is a paralytic, often fatal, disease of birds that results when they ingest toxin produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Seven distinct types of toxin designated by the letters A to G have been identified (Table 38.1). Waterfowl die-offs due to botulism are usually caused by type C toxin; sporadic die-offs among fish-eating birds, such as common loons and gulls...

Avian botulism is an important disease affecting many species of waterbirds in North America, but the environmental conditions that initiate outbreaks are poorly understood. To determine wetland attributes associated with outbreaks of avian botulism in waterbirds at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), California, we compared environmental characteristics between wetlands...

Gizzard worms are comprised of several species of parasitic nematodes or roundworms of birds. Severe infections can result in birds becoming unthrifty and debilitated to the extent that they are more susceptible to predation and to infection by other disease agents. The two gizzard worms that are emphasized here are trichostrongylid nematodes that belong to the genera Amidostomum sp. and

Animals become victims of salt poisoning or toxicosis when toxic levels of sodium and chloride accumulate in the blood after they ingest large amounts of salt or, in some species, are deprived of water. For birds, salt sources may include saline water and road salt. Normally, the salt glands of birds (Fig. 47.1) excrete sodium and chloride to maintain the proper physiologic chemical...

This concluding chapter is intended to further inform the reader of the broad spectrum of causes affecting the health of wild birds by illustrating a variety of disease conditions that are not described elsewhere in this Manual. The information in this chapter is not intended to represent a comprehensive description of other causes for ill-health and death in wild birds. Instead...

Newcastle Disease (ND) in domestic poultry is a focus for concern throughout much of the world’s agricultural community because of severe economic losses that have occurred from illness, death, and reduced egg production following infection with pathogenic or disease causing strains. Prior to 1990, this disease had rarely been reported as a cause of mortality in the free-living native...