DISEASES OF WATERFOWL
• PARASITES
– PROTOZOANS
• blood parasites
– e.g. Trypanosoma - intermediate hosts
• intestinal parasites
– e.g. Wenyonella - high host specificity
• sarcocystis (breast muscle)
– affects mostly adults
Left: Sarcocystis in
mallard breast
muscle
Right: Leg muscle of
a black duck
– HELMINTHS
• Trematoda (flukes)
• Cestoda (tape worms)
• Nematoda (round worms)
• Acanthocephala (spiny-headed worms
– EXTERNAL
• Arthropods (louse)
– blood sucking
• Annelids (leeches)
–CONCLUSIONS: PARASITES
•Problem Only When
–At extreme concentration
–Birds are in poor body condition to begin with
–Can Be Present In Healthy Birds
»Esp. Coccidia + spiny-headed worms +
feather louse
–Control Not Necessary
•BACTERIAL
–AVIAN CHOLERA
•CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
•HEART LESIONS
•FECAL AND NASAL DISCHARGE SPREADS IN WATER
•PASSED TO DOMESTICS AND REVERSE
•KILLS FAST
Pinhead sized
hemorrhages
along fatty areas
of the heart of
cholera infected
bird
Thickened yellowish fluid in the intestines of this
cholera infected bird contains millions of bacteria that
will contaminate the envrionment as the carcass
decomposes or is scavenged
–BOTULISM – TYPE C
•#1 KILLER
•INGESTED IN FOOD
•MOSTLY IN DABBLERS
•ESP. PINTAILS
• “TYPE E” IN MERGANSERS IN ONE STUDY
•FLOODED AG. LAND IS PROBLEM
–CAN’T FLY
–LIMBER NECK AND CAN’T WALK
–NO EMACIATION
–MAY TRY TO USE WINGS TO SWIM
Several thousand
toxic maggots can
be produced by a
single carcass
Waterfowl and
other birds feed
on the maggots as
evidenced by their
presence in this
gizzard of a duck
that died from
botulism
Birds dying from botulism seem to line up in rows that
represent the receding water levels as they died
Paralysis of the inner eyelid is a common sign in
botulinum infected birds
Although possible, treatment of botulism is generally
considered too expensive
–OTHER BACTERIAL DISEASES
•TUBERCULOSIS
•SALMONELLA
–MOSTLY DOMESTICS
–NOT A BIG PROBLEM
•VIRAL
–DUCK VIRUS ENTERITIS (DVE)
•RELATIVELY RECENTLY DISCOVERED
•KILLED >40,000 IN 1973 AT LAKE ANDES IN S.D.
•ESP. IN HIGH DENSITY POP’S
•KILLS ALL AGES EQUALLY
•ESP. BLACKS, MALLARDS, TEAL
•PHOTO PHOBIA
•PROLAPSED PENIS
•NO EMACIATION
BROWN DISCHARGE FROM
THE BILL, BLOOD-STAINED,
OR EVEN BLOOD DRIPPING
FROM THE BILL IS SEEN IN
SOME DVE CASES; AND
BLOOD STAINING OF THE
VENT AREA (BELOW)
“COLD SORES” UNDER THE
TONGUE MAY ALSO BE SEEN
IN DVE INFECTED BIRDS
Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota,
1973; 40,000 mallards died of DVE (duck plague)
•FUNGUS
•ASPERGILLOSIS
•INHALES SPORES FROM MOLDY HAY, ETC
•HITS RESPIRATORY TRACT
•KILLS A FEW HERE AND THERE REGULARLY
•SLOW DEATH - EMACIATION
“cheesy” fungal plaques in
the lung and air sacs of a
bird with aspergillosis
“bread mold” fungal
mat is totally
involving the air sac
adjacent to the heart
of this bird (left).
At right, a wood duck duckling’s
lung shows the dark red
“studded” or granular
appearance characteristic of
acute aspergillosis or “brooder
pneumonia”
CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF
WATERFOWL DISEASES
• GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CONTROL
– IDENTIFY - DIAGNOSTIC LAB
• SET PRIORITIES
– CONSIDER SPECIES
– CONSIDER MAN
– CONSIDER LIVESTOCK
• CONTROL
– SANITATION
» BURN CARCASSES
» KILL AND REMOVE SICK
» DRAIN INFECTED WATER OR FLUSH WITH FRESH
Sanitation measures may require personnel and
equipment on an emergency basis
One should
consider
local
conditions
before
employing
the use of an
all terrain
vehicle to
retrieve dead
or dying
waterfowl
Portable incinerators may be used to dispose of
diseased carcasses.
Carcasses and other
contaminated
material should be
burned, burried, or
both.
CONFINE AND TREAT SICK (E.G., BOTULISM)
DISPERSE HEALTHY
MASS VACCINATION
STERILIZE WATER
PREVENT SCAVENGING
PREVENT UNNATURAL WATERFOWL
CONCENTRATIONS
CONTROL CHOLERA
• SANITATION – COLLECT AND BURN
– EGGS
– NESTS
– CARCASSES
– BURN VEGETATION AND AG. LAND
– SPRAY WATER WITH CRESYLIC COMPOUND
– OTHERS AS FOR GENERAL
•MANIPULATION OF H2O
DRAIN IF POSSIBLE
AVOID OVER-WINTER IN MIGRATION AREAS
(DRAIN EACH YEAR)
BOTULISM CONTROL
• DUCK RESCUE
– NOT PRACTICAL
• SANITATION
• WATER MANIPULATION
– MAINTAIN 18-24" AT DIKES
– FLUSH WITH FRESH
– DRAIN IN SOME INSTANCES
end