Biology 1615
Final paper
Huan Tran
Title: ARE WETLANDS THE RESERVOIR FOR AVIAN CHOLERA?
Introduction:
Avian cholera is one of the most common diseases of wild waterfowl in North
America wetland. Bacteria called Pasteurella multocida is the main cause of this disease. The reason for research is that the most suspected reservoirs for live bacteria to be released into the environment could be either dead and dying birds infect healthy birds, or soil and water in epizootic wetland sites. As a result, avian cholera can spread quickly through a wetland and kill hundreds to thousands of birds in a single outbreak. Researchers also indicate that the bacteria can contaminate wetland during outbreak and has potential for long term survival under favorable environmental conditions.
Method and Materials :
Wetlands where estimated mortality was at least 100 waterbirds are selected for sampling because these losses increased the likelihood that P. multocida was present in the wetland during the outbreak. Samples are transported to the US Geological Survey National
Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), Madison, Wisconsin (USA), in liquid nitrogen vapor shippers. The cryopreservation method and quality assurance procedures are used to preserve samples for isolation of P. multocida. Water and sediments samples are used for chemical reaction test, turbidity, and dissolved protein analyses. Water quality characteristics
(temperature, pH, redox potential, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen) are measured using a

Yellow Springs Instruments 610 DM water quality meter and 600 XL probe.
Result:
Researchers sample 44 wetlands in six different states in the United States where
Avian Cholera mortalities are reported vary from approximately 90 to >8,000. In result, they are unable to isolate P. multocida from any of the water or sediment samples. Thus, estimated prevalence was 0% for wetlands.
Discussion:
After the researches through samples collected from selected wetlands, researchers indicate that wetlands are not the primary reservoir for the P. multocida bacteria that cause avian cholera. Thus, the number one suspected reservoir for P. multocida would be dead and dying waterfowl carriers. Whether wetlands or dead and dying waterfowls serve as a reservoir for avian cholera has become a controversial issue.
Conclusion:
Waterfowls in wetlands of North America and many other places are in danger thread of Avian Cholera. Every year thousands of water birds are killed and the consistent of the disease is still continuing in those areas where the outbreak occur. Researches for finding original reservoir of the bacteria P. multocida along with preserving wetland site from being contaminated are critical for keeping waterfowl species alive and away from the risk of extinction.