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Posted: December 14 2006 at 5:46am |
Chicago Tribune is the only news that i have found.
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Chloe
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:02am |
http://www.ktvb.com/
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07:53 PM MST on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
KTVB.COM
Courtesy Idaho Fish & Game
More than 1,000 dead ducks were found near Oakley, ID last week. Fish & Game officials are working to understand what caused the massive deaths.
BOISE - More than 2,000 dead mallard ducks have been found in the Magic Valley.
A Fish and Game spokesperson says that it is unlikely bird flu in a cause in the mass deaths, but an investigation is underway.
“Preliminary diagnosis is a bacterial infection is the likely cause,” said Magic Valley Fish & Game supervisor David Parrish. “State veterinarians in Boise have found the lung tissue of the ducks to be full of white and yellowish bacterial abscesses. They also found hemorrhaging around the heart. At this point in time, however, we are not ruling out any potential cause.”
The ducks were found about 15 miles southeast of Burley near Oakley. The investigation is probing nearly every aspect of the ducks and surrounding environment.
“All responsible agencies are doing everything in their power to ascertain the cause of mortality,” Parrish said. “Tissue and water samples have been collected by local, state and federal investigators, and we are currently running tests.”
Officials put up signs in the in the area warning hunters not to eat any waterfoul until an exact cause has been pinned down.
Samples have been sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lab in Wisconsin, the University of Idaho and Washington State University for testing. Biologists there are also screening for both organophosphate and zinc phosphide - pesticides known to affect ducks.
A hunter found the first ducks on Dec. 8th, and Fish & Game officers found about 10 of the dead animals along a the Land Creek Springs stream bank. Officer returned on Sunday and found another 500 animals – that number has since risen to more than 2,000.
NewsChannel 7 has a crew in the Magic Valley - find more on News at 6 and 10 - and on KTVB.COM
Courtesy Idaho Fish & Game
Courtesy Idaho Fish & Game
A Fish & Game truck filled with dead ducks near Oakley, ID
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roni3470
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:05am |
wow, that is a great story....I want to know results...it says found last week so shouldn't we have results very soon?
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Chloe
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:08am |
< id=videop marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 ="/home/video/index.?ref=/news/local&vid=4907851&stat=sty" Border=0 scrolling=no>>
More Than 2,000 Mallard Ducks Die Along Idaho Creekbed
More than 2,000 mallard ducks have been found dead in Cassia County, and fear of disease has brought several government departments onto the scene to look into how the animals died.
One disease they fear is the avian flu, so the Department of Homeland Security is involved. But after a preliminary look at these mallards a state veterinarian says that doesn't look to be the case.
The ducks were found in Cassia County along the Land Creek Springs. That's about 15 miles south east of Burley near Oakley. The owner of the land says a hunter first spotted all of the dead mallards on Friday.
They went out and cleaned up about 2,200 of the ducks Tuesday night. Wednesday morning Fish and Game agents cleaned up 1,200 more.
State vets say the lung tissue of the ducks was full of white and yellowish bacterial abscesses, "Some of the preliminary work we've done indicates it could be a bacterial infection that's causing the mortality and we still have several tests out at labs and we don't have results for those back yet," says David parrish, Magic Valley Regional Supervisor.
The samples from the ducks were sent to a laboratory in Wisconsin. They are testing for two different pesticides. It is still unknown whether the ducks are spreading this infection to each other or if they are picking it up from a source. The results will trickle in but the first round is due back Thursday.
There are now signs posted in the area warning hunters to not eat any of the water fowl until after the tests come back.
Story Created: Dec 13, 2006 at 2:58 PM MST
Story Updated: Dec 13, 2006 at 10:29 PM MST
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:12am |
I wish I could say I feel reassured that there are no moonsuits in the pictures and if there were it would a much different story right now.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:16am |
"The ducks mysteriously began dying last week around Land Springs Creek, near the remote town of Oakley, about 180 miles southeast of Boise."
Looks like it has been going on for a week. This didn't just happen yesterday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0612140202dec14,1,3760766.story?track=rss
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Chloe
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:23am |
I have not been able to find a story dated today as of yet.
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Chloe
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:43am |
It would be very interesting to know if there have been any other duck die-offs between British Columbia and Idaho.
Tue Oct 10, 12:50 PM
VANCOUVER (CBC) - A Chilliwack senior says she is convinced that the recent deaths of about 240 ducks in a Fraser Valley park near her apartment complex were caused by a chemical or pesticide on farmers' fields.
Patricia Jaster was among a group of 15 seniors who discovered the dead and dying ducks along the lakeshore while out for a walk in Sardis Park a week ago.
"Ducks were gasping for breath, trying to come out of the water, getting out onto the land and just dying," she told CBC Radio on Tuesday.
Jaster says city workers were bagging the dead birds and hauling them away.
Fungus may be to blame The City of Chilliwack says early tests show the ducks died of a fungal infection, perhaps contracted while feeding in a cornfield.
Jaster says she suspects humans are to blame for the massive duck kill.
"If it's chemical poisoning, if it's something from either the water or from farmers' fields, how can they be allowed to put so much on that it kills the wildlife?"
Environment Canada is carrying out tests on the ducks to see if pesticides contributed to the deaths.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 8:37am |
I found out about this on the Drudge Report. Nothing on the radio, the news stations, or MSN.
Regarding pesticides, I'm assuming they are referring to wheat. Wheat is very susceptable to a certain mold or mildew or some other vegative member, and it's required by law that the wheat is treated with a pesticide. I think it's slightly pink in color. Also, this is about the time, give or take a month, that hard red winter wheat is planted. That being said, I really don't see how this small amount of pesticide could inflict so much damage. Birds are in the wheat fields every year, eating the wheat every year. And I doubt that this confined area of deaths is a result of the wheat. I really wouldn't be surprised if some whack poisoned these birds through his ignorance and fear. JM2cents
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Albert
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 8:46am |
The first test that they need to run should be in the area of "ruling out" avian influenza, then they can look for poisoning. You would think that they would be eager to announce that there is no ai.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 9:00am |
From WHO website:
• The behaviour of the virus in its natural reservoir, wild waterfowl, may be changing. The spring 2005 die-off of upwards of 6,000 migratory birds at a nature reserve in central China, caused by highly pathogenic H5N1, was highly unusual and probably unprecedented. In the past, only two large die-offs in migratory birds, caused by highly pathogenic viruses, are known to have occurred: in South Africa in 1961 (H5N3) and in Hong Kong in the winter of 2002–2003
(H5N1).
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/index.html#whatis
It would be interesting to see how many birds died in the later two listed die offs.
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Mahshadin
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 9:19am |
Wait a minute
The biggest threat to Migratory Birds, Poultry, other animals , and Humans is the threat of Avian Flu Specifically (H5N1).
The very first test done is this one (Period). If this is not taking place then there is deception somewhere or a complete mis-understanding of what Avian Flu Survelance needs to be.
Apply Common Sence\
1. There is a world wide problem with avian influenza (H5N1)
2. The virus is spread by Migrating birds, The Poultry Trade, and yet Unknown Others.
3. Waterfowl are the most suceptable species.
4. Watrerfowl die off is a good first indicator.
%. Test Immedialtly!!!
How long should it take to get a PCR Test done???
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 10:38am |
I am from Idaho, haven't heard a thing about this til today! We are in the panhandle, near Canada, so it doesn't suprise me much that I had to hear it here first. Scary.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 11:21am |
stockmama,
Please let us know if you hear any rumors.
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vinace04
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 11:44am |
TESTS ARE TAKING A LONG TIME !!!!!!!!!!
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WAZZZ UP!!!!
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 11:57am |
Test results expected Thursday as Idaho duck deaths climbs to 2,500
By JESSE HARLAN ALDERMAN Associated Press Writer Thursday, December 14, 2006
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- The number of mallard ducks that have died in a bizarre cluster along a southeastern Idaho creek bed has climbed to 2,500, as vexed wildlife officials await test results from tissue samples.
Officials from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hope Thursday to have results of tests on tissue from the ducks' abdominal tract and on water samples from the creek that might provide clues to the unknown illness.
The battery of tests at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's national laboratory in Wisconsin, the University of Idaho and Washington State University are expected to rule out an avian flu outbreak.
The ducks mysteriously began dying last week around Land Springs Creek, near the remote town of Oakley, about 180 miles southeast of Boise. On Thursday, state workers cleared the last remaining duck carcasses from the area in pickup trucks. They brought the bodies to a nearby incineration site.
Migratory mallards from Canada and their local cousins staggered and struggled to breathe before collapsing, said Dave Parrish, regional supervisor for Fish and Game. He said Thursday every mallard in a radius of several miles has died -- approximately 2,500, up from an earlier estimate of 1,000.
"I've never seen anything like this in 20 years here," he said. "There were dead mallards everywhere -- in the water and on the banks. It was odd; they were in a very small area."
The massive outbreak is puzzling scientists because only mallard ducks are dying. Golden eagles, geese, magpies, crows and other birds in the area all remain healthy.
In the past, small outbreaks of botulism have killed water birds in Idaho, but the disease quickly spreads among different species.
"Typically, you'd see this spread into other types of waterfowl as well," Parrish said.
Mark Drew, a wildlife veterinarian with the state Department of Agriculture, said investigators were not ruling out any cause of death, but bird flu virus remained unlikely.
The symptoms -- bacterial lesions in the lungs and hemorrhaging in the heart wall -- probably point to a bacterial infection, he said.
"The highly pathogenic bird flu that we see in Southeast Asia has not been reported in North America," he said. "It would be extremely unusual that this would be the first occurrence of avian influenza."
Drew said the ducks likely were exposed to a single contamination source and gathered at the creek, their mutual roosting point, to die. He did not suspect the mallards were passing a contagious virus.
No dead ducks have been spotted anywhere besides the creek. Investigators did not find any dead marine life in the shallow stream.
The ducks may have contracted a bacterial or fungal infection by eating grain treated with pesticides by local cattle farmers, Drew said. Farming chemicals may also have spilled into the small spring-fed creek, which measures just 3- to 6-inches deep.
Farmland surrounds the backwoods waterway. A cattle feedlot is close by and several corn and alfalfa feeds ring the nearby town of Oakley. Parrish said there are no factories in the area that discharge toxins into local streams and rivers. Wastewater does not run into the creek, he said.
Along with Idaho Fish and Game and Homeland Security officers, representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the local health district were investigating the deaths.
The agencies posted signs warning hunters not to eat any birds killed near the creek.
"I'd say there's no reason for alarm in the sense that literally the sky is falling and there's disease spreading," Drew said. "It's unusual in the number of birds and the sense that it's only mallards, but it's nothing that would cause anyone to panic."
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/12/14/news/regional/b484f98274cc744f8725724400678cef.txt
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 12:08pm |
This is getting fishy. It seems there is a lot being done to steer towards this not being HPAI and there have not been any test results. They will burn the ducks, screw up the samples and claim it must have been a mass duck suicide. I am going to lose what little faith I have left in the govt if they screw this one up.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 12:20pm |
The highly pathogenic bird flu that we see in Southeast Asia has not been reported in North America," he said. "It would be extremely unusual that this would be the first occurrence of avian influenza
This is categorically untrue. It was due to arrive here as early as this fall. It would be right on track for estimated arrival and especially with birds migrating from Canada.
Migratory mallards from Canada and their local cousins staggered and struggled to breathe before collapsing, said Dave Parrish, regional supervisor for Fish and Game. He said Thursday every mallard in a radius of several miles has died -- approximately 2,500, up from an earlier estimate of 1,000.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 12:24pm |
Commentary
Over 3400 Dead Ducks in Idaho ******** Commentary December 14, 2006
They went out and cleaned up about 2,200 of the ducks Tuesday night. Wednesday morning Fish and Game agents cleaned up 1,200 more.
The investigation includes Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Agriculture and South Central District Health.
The dead birds include local and migrating ducks.
One disease they fear is the avian flu, so the Department of Homeland Security is involved.
They also found hemorrhaging around the heart. At this point in time, however we are not ruling out any potential cause.
The above comments from media reports describe a massive die-off of over 3400 local and migratory mallards in Land Creek Springs near Oakley, Idaho 20 miles from the borders of Nevada and Utah. This die-off has led to a multi-agency investigation, which includes Homeland Security.
Although the birds have bacterial lesions on their lungs, the hemorrhaging around the heart signals an acute infection, which has been seen in H5N1 patients, such as the index case in Iraq, which was caused by the Qinghai strain of H5N1.
The mounting death toll is also similar to the die off of bar-headed geese at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005. Bird flu was initially ruled out, but by the time the OIE report was filed, the number of dead birds grew from 178 to 519 and within a few weeks exceeded 6000.
These parallels have contributed to the level of attention this die-off is receiving. Canada has also issued a warning to residents north of the Idaho outbreak to report dead birds. Similar requests were made of Toronto residents late last month.
Although the United States and Canada have had increased surveillance programs this year, most of the effort has focused on live or hunter killed birds. Over 45,000 have been tested and all reported H5N1 has been North American low path, which was also found last year in Canada. However, only about 1000 dead or dying birds have been tested in the United States even though all prior reports of H5N1 live wild birds from other countries have been preceded by reports of H5N1 in dead birds. Thus, an emphasis of testing of more dead birds is warranted. H5N1 positive samples were identified in September in Montana, although only H5N3 was isolated. In May a dead goose on Prince Edward Island was H5 PCR positive, but the size of the insert was withheld. and the PCR positive was not confirmed in Winnipeg. This was followed by a large number of influenza positive wild birds on Prince Edward Island.
Details of test results would be useful, as would requests for more reports of dead or dying wild birds in the United States and Canada.
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Chloe
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 12:42pm |
I wonder if we could request an official copy of the test results under the Freedom of Information Act? The samples are being tested by a federal agency.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 12:47pm |
Good idea Chloe!
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 1:07pm |
this waiting is going to drive me up a wall. I wish we could find out something.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 1:18pm |
Please don't panic.
Although I'm anxious to have results, and this information make me a little bit sick to my stomach, we need to remember that no matter when or how many cases show up here in the United States this is still a bird pandemic and not a human pandemic.
We knew that eventullay the birds here would fall ill. It was just a matter of time...I do believe that this is the H5N1 but, I would be thrilled to here it's not although I not sure I would believe it.
Will have to take extra precautions in preparing our food but I think the majority of us already are doing that.
Let's hope the government steps up and gets this information (if it is the High path H5N1) on the news to educate the public.
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:04pm |
I am going to call our local Idaho fish and game dept. will let you know what I found out.
Stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:15pm |
Anyone notice how they are handling these ducks?masks?gloves?not good.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:24pm |
Oh ya they were being very careful. Did they lick their fingers? How many ducks fell out of the back of that truck when they were driving down the road?
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:24pm |
Just got off the phone with the Idaho Dept of Fish and Game in Jerome, Idaho and after I told them I was with the radio station here, asked if they could give me any new info on the Land Springs Creek Ducks. I was told the test results were due within and hour or two and the Conservation Officer would be sending out a news release at that time. So we all have to cross our fingers for a little while longer. I'll run into the station, or call to see if we have gotton any faxes then. I'll keep you posted. If not, I'll call again and keep bugging them until we get some ANSWERS!!
As I type this, there are 30 or so geese across the field from me...I could use the excuse of having a newborn and a 3 year old keep me from going outside today....but the geese are as good of a reason as any so I'll use that instead!!!
Sorry if this doesn't make a lot of sense....3 hours of sleep last night!!
stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:26pm |
Thanks stockmama!
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:29pm |
I took a closer look. They do have gloves on, but those are not really the gloves or clothing I would have in mind for the task. I think the gloves are just because it is cold.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:30pm |
I bet there is at least one wing nut with a freezer full of duck.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:33pm |
Fingers crossed!
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DANNYK
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 2:57pm |
I have been watching FOX News all day long and I have not seen anything on the ducks.Wonder Why????/
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:10pm |
Here is the phone number to the Idaho Fish and Game offiice in Jerome Idaho 208-324-4359 they are on Mountain Time. I have tried and the line is still busy.
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:14pm |
May not want to call that number after all....stilll nothing to add according to representative, and she acted a little annoyed, so I am assuming that she is getting innundated with phone calls. I will wait and see if we get a fax.
stockmama
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cap1
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:18pm |
Thanks to your number, I just spoke to them. Now they are saying either later tonight or first thing in the morning-probably on local news instead of a press release or on their web site. The lady I spoke with said they thought it was more likely to be bacterial and not bird flu. Hmm.
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Albert
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:24pm |
I merged the last few posts into this main thread. Following two different threads could get confusing.
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stockmama
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:38pm |
Thanks Albert!!
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 3:39pm |
Just beware of Swans and Mallards in your own area. If they start walking like a drunk duck and keeling over in many different localities you do not need the feds to tell you what it is. One main thing to look for is a bluish beak and possible bleeding around the nose and mouth. If it is an isolated area the feds will always amke up some story.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 4:32pm |
Biological Hazard - North-America Event summary GLIDE Number BH-20061214-8849-USA Event type Biological Hazard Date / time [UTC] 14/12/2006 - 05:06:48 (Military Time, UTC) Country USA Area - County / State Idaho State City Salmon district Cause of event Unknow Log date 14/12/2006 - 05:06:48 (Military Time, UTC) Damage level Heavy Time left - Latitude: N 45° 9.429 Longitude: W 113° 52.701 Number of deaths: Not or Not data Number of injured persons: Not or Not data Number of missing persons: Not or Not data Number of infected persons - Number of evacuated persons: Not or Not data Summary: 0 persons * - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Attention! The number of stakeholders is based on estimation, only for information! DESCRIPTION Officials scrambled on Wednesday to determine what has caused the deaths of thousands of mallard ducks in south-central Idaho near the Utah border. Although wildlife experts are downplaying any links to bird flu, they have sent samples to government labs to test for the deadly H5N1 flu strain, among other pathogens. Officials with the federal Bureau of Homeland Security have been also called in to help with the probe. "We think the possibility of avian flu is very remote but we're not ruling anything out at this point in time," said Dave Parish, regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. "We want to make sure all the bases are covered." Wildlife officials are calling the massive die-off alarming, with the number of dead mallards rising from 1,000 on Tuesday to more than 2,000 by Wednesday afternoon. "We've never seen anything like this -- ever," Parrish said. A hunter alerted state conservation officials after finding a handful of dead ducks along a creek near Burley, about 150 miles southeast of Boise, on Friday. By Wednesday, dead and dying birds clogged sections of the stream and littered its banks. Officials have posted signs warning hunters and others not to touch or eat the birds until a cause of death has been identified. Preliminary findings by state veterinarians suggest the mallards succumbed to a bacterial infection, officials said. They said it was unclear why a similar outbreak had never before occurred in Idaho. On Wednesday, officials outfitted with protective gear were gathering hundreds of mallard carcasses. Wildlife managers said the birds will be incinerated. The only mallard die-off roughly equivalent in recent years happened in Waterloo, Iowa in 2005, when 500 ducks died from a fungus they contracted by eating moldy grain, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center. The center's Kathryn Converse, a wildlife disease specialist, said early clues suggest the outbreak in Idaho is not linked to insecticides applied to surrounding croplands because it is not affecting other bird species or predators feeding on the dead ducks. Mallards are the most common duck species in the United States, with populations nationwide. Most mallards that winter in Idaho originate from Alberta, Canada, with a smaller percentage from the Northwest Territories, said Tom Keegan, regional wildlife manager with Idaho Fish and Game. Although the magnitude and the pace of the die-off is unusual, officials said, migratory birds and other wild animals are more likely to get sick when large numbers congregate in small areas. That can happen to mallards in the winter, when many of the waterways they depend upon are frozen. Compounding the seasonal phenomenon is the ever-shrinking habitat available to wildlife because of sprawling development and expanding farm operations. http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woaler...d=8849&lang=eng
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 4:56pm |
murial, GREAT SITE, THANK YOU
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 5:06pm |
Iam sorry for the caps.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 5:16pm |
ABBF...some never heard of bacteria.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 5:38pm |
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/ducks.reut/
Moldy grain killed ducks, scientists say
< = =text/>
POSTED: 0106 GMT (0906 HKT), December 14, 2006
< = =text/>var clickExpire = "12/28/2006";
Story Highlights• 2,000 mallards die of apparent food poisoning in Idaho • Grain may have come from nearby agricultural operation • Ducks often resort to poor food sources during bad weather • Fears of avian influenza outbreak in U.S. prove unfounded
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) -- Two thousand mallard ducks in Idaho likely died after they ate moldy grain and contracted a fatal infection, scientists said Thursday.
Paul Slota, a wildlife expert with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center, said a fungal infection known as aspergillosis was the likely killer.
"The results are certainly consistent with that diagnosis," Slota said.
Dave Parrish, regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said further tests would be conducted.
The preliminary finding eased fears that the massive mallard die-off, which experts say is unprecedented in Idaho, was linked to bird flu.
Birds can contract aspergillosis after feeding on waste grain and silage pits during bad weather, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. Large-scale, rapid die-offs among waterfowl have chiefly affected mallards, it said.
An estimated 2,000 mallards died between Friday and Wednesday near the agricultural community of Burley, about 150 miles southeast of Boise.
State fish and game officers Wednesday retrieved carcasses from a stream clogged with dead and dying mallards.
The stream is surrounded by farmland and a cattle feedlot, potential sources of the moldy grain, officials said.
Concerns over the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu and an extensive national monitoring network prompted officials to submit samples from Idaho to labs specializing in detecting avian influenza and drew the U.S. Department of Homeland Security into the investigation.
A similar aspergillosis outbreak killed 500 mallards in Iowa in 2005, the wildlife health center said. Moldy grain was the culprit in that case. The disease is not contagious.
Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 5:41pm |
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1829&articleid=2384
Aspergillosis in Birds Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.
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What is aspergillosis and what causes it?
Aspergillosis is a respiratory disease of birds caused by the fungus Aspergillus, which is found almost everywhere in the environment. A. fumigatus is the most common species of the fungus to cause disease, although A. flavus, A. niger, and others can also cause problems. Aspergillus grows readily in warm and moist environments. The microscopic spores of the fungus become airborne, and poor ventilation, poor sanitation, dusty conditions, and close confinement increase the chance the spores will be inhaled.
Usually, the fungus does not cause disease, however, if a bird does not have a healthy immune system, it can cause illness. Predisposing factors include other illnesses, stress, poor nutrition, poor husbandry or unsanitary conditions, another injury to the respiratory system (e.g.; smoke inhalation), and prolonged use of certain medications such as antibiotics or corticosteroids.
The combination of the number of spores in the environment and the presence of predisposing factors determine which birds are most at risk of disease. Aspergillosis appears to be more common in parrots and mynahs than other pet birds.
What are the signs of aspergillosis?
Aspergillosis can follow one of two courses - acute or chronic. Birds with acute aspergillosis have severe difficulty breathing, decreased or loss of appetite, frequent drinking and urination, cyanosis (a bluish coloration of mucous membranes and/or skin), and even sudden death. The fungus generally affects the trachea, syrinx (voice box), and air sacs. The lungs may also be involved. Diagnosis is generally made through a post-mortem examination.
Chronic aspergillosis is much more common, and unfortunately, much more deadly due to its insidious nature. The bird may not become symptomatic until the disease has progressed too far for a cure. The respiratory system is the primary location of infection. White nodules appear and ultimately erode through the tissue, and large numbers of spores enter the bloodstream. The spores then travel throughout the body, infecting multiple organs including kidneys, skin, muscle, gastrointestinal tract, liver, eyes, and brain.
Respiratory symptoms will be the first to occur but will depend on the location of the greatest areas of colonization. Difficulty breathing, rapid breathing and/or exercise intolerance are common. If the syrinx (voice box) is involved, a change in voice, reluctance to talk, or a "click" may occur. Nares may become plugged or you may see a discharge. Eventually, severe respiratory compromise may kill the bird.
Other signs and symptoms will vary, depending on the other organs involved. If any portion of the central nervous system has become involved, the bird may have tremors, an uneven or wobbly gait, seizures, or paralysis. With liver involvement, a green discoloration to the urates may be seen, and the veterinarian may feel an enlarged liver. Generalized, non-specific symptoms can include loss of appetite leading to weight loss, muscle wasting, gout (painful, inflamed joints due to urate deposits), regurgitation, abnormal feces or diarrhea, excessive urination, depression, and lethargy.
Spores can penetrate fresh or incubating eggs and will kill the embryos.
How is aspergillosis diagnosed?
Aspergillosis can be very difficult to diagnose since the signs of disease mimic those of many other illnesses, especially in the chronic form. The veterinarian will need a detailed history of the course of the illness, and an accurate description of the diet and husbandry of the bird. Radiographs, a complete blood count, and a chemistry panel may help support a diagnosis. Endoscopy can be used to view lesions in the syrinx or trachea, and a sample can be taken for culture and microscopic examination, either of which can confirm a diagnosis. A diagnosis can also be made based on a specific blood test used to detect antibodies to Aspergillus in the blood. Sometimes, however, the test can be falsely negative, especially if the bird's immune system is suppressed.
How is aspergillosis treated?
Surgery may be performed to remove accessible lesions. Antifungal drugs, such as itraconazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine, flucytosine, and amphotericin B, may be administered orally, topically, by injection, or nebulizing, depending upon the drug. Therapy needs to be continued for weeks to months and more than one antifungal drug may be used. Supportive care such as oxygen, supplemental heat, tube feeding, and treatment of underlying conditions are often needed. Unfortunately, the prognosis is always guarded.
How can aspergillosis be prevented?
The importance of good husbandry to prevent outbreaks of aspergillosis cannot be overstated. Keep your bird in a well-ventilated environment. Clean food and water dishes every day. Replace substrate (material lining the cage bottom) regularly. Remove your bird and thoroughly clean cages, toys, perches, etc., at least once a month. Pay attention to good nutrition, offering the right combination of fruits, vegetables, grains and seeds with variety, and only a sprinkling of "treats." Essentially, you want to do everything you can to alleviate stress in your bird's life and provide a scrupulously clean environment.
A susceptible bird that has been exposed to Aspergillus may be treated with flucytosine and itraconazole in an attempt to prevent infection. |
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Posted: December 14 2006 at 6:12pm |
Aspergillus grows readily in warm and moist environments.
so in Idaho in Mid Dec, it's warm and moist?
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