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Thousands of migratory birds died in the last few months due to Type E Botulism poisoning from Lake Michigan. Scientists don't know exactly how the birds are contracting botulism, but our theory that they ate tainted canned goods—that's the most common way to human adults contract botulinum poisoning--isn't an option, apparently. The current theory blames invasive populations of zebra mussels and round gobies.
Zebra mussels and their deep-water kin, quagga mussels, filter naturally occurring botulism and other toxins from the water. Gobies eat the mussels, and birds, in turn, eat the gobies.Scientists theorize this new food chain is concentrating botulism and other toxins and passing them up to predators.
The other Great Lakes have been hit by the disease as well, but Lake Michigan's ecosystem suffered the most devestating effects this year. An estimated 8,500 birds, including ducks, grebes, gulls, pigeons, loons, plovers, and other species, died during the fall this year, and experts are expecting even worse numbers next year.
People are unlikely to eat a bird that has type E botulism--the birds become paralyzed, and that's not so tasty looking--but the possibility thousands of bird carcasses lining the shores of the lake is of certain concern. Right now, there's not a lot that can be done to contain the outbreak or to treat affected birds. [Trib, info from Canada, eh, had sad photos, More info]
Those birds are healthy...for now...by Lauri Apple
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I used to know more than your average bear about water and water quality and stuff like that, but I was still a bit surprised to read that botulism occurs in a communicable form in the water of Lake Michigan.
Yuck!
....Once again proving my original point, birds shouldn't use Botox. I know it'll make them look younger, but seriously... c'mon.
Botulin is the toxin produced by Clostridium, which can affect any other mammal that ingests it, nothing more is needed. What seems to be overlooked is that Clostridium outbreaks can easily and rapidly become a major public health hazard.
It is interesting that the news reports reach out for the zebra mussel as the probable source with no evidence or scientific literature anywhere to support that conclusion. There is a lot of scientific evidence however that one of the common sources of Clostridium is raw sewerage, which gets into the lake water on a regular basis.
One thing we can be certain about however, as long as it is perceived as killing a few birds, nobody is going to worry. When it gets a few humans, then something might be done.