What is a disease you may ask yourself at first? Disease can be defined in many ways, but a common definition would be any impairment that would interfere or modify normal functions, with responses to factors such as nutrition, infectious agents, defects, or toxicants (Wobeser 1997). Disease outbreaks follow a simple three way path that involves a host, agent, and the environment. Wide arrays of avian diseases are found throughout the bird world, but much is still unknown about them. According to Karstad, “disease in wildlife populations is rarely a one-cause, one-effect situation. Usually it is caused by profound changes in the environment” (Wobeser 1997).
They can range from bacterial diseases such as avian cholera, botulism, tuberculosis, salmonellosis, and chlamydiosis; to different viral diseases such as duck plague, inclusion body disease, and avian pox. Other diseases found in waterfowl are fungal diseases (aspergillosis), parasitic diseases like sarcocystis, gizzard worms, and nasal leeches. Lead poisoning and oil toxicosis are two lethal toxic diseases also found to occur. This topic will focus on what is avian botulism, what are the causes, and ways to prevent outbreaks from occurring.
Avian botulism is also known as limberneck, western duck sickness, duck disease, and alkali poisoning. “Botulism” was first termed over 100 years ago when man ate spoiled sausage. Research on avian botulism didn’t occur until the early 1900’s. Cases were documented as early as 1876 and 1893 when large numbers of waterfowl were found dead in Great Salt Lake marshes. Botulism is caused by the ingestion of a specific toxin that is produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum (Davis et al. 1971). Seven different strains of the toxin h...
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As stated in Chan-Tack and Bartlett’s article Botulism, “The incidence of foodborne botulism is approximately 24 cases per year. The incidence of wound botulism is 3 cases per year. The incidence of infant botulism is 71 cases per year, with a mean age of 3 months.” (2010). In addition, in merely fifteen percent of the Clostridium botulinium outbreaks are the toxin type undetermined. The first case descriptions of botulism were reported by Dr. Justinus Kerner, a German physician, in 1822. He had conducted experiments on himself and laboratory animals, which gave him this case findings (Taillac, & Kim, 2010).
Disease was always something on the emigrants mind when traveling the Oregon trail, because they never knew when a friend or themselves would succumb to it. According to the Frontier trails, an estimated 50,000 people died from disease (Underwood). The emigrants of the oregon trail had to live through the fact knowing disease could strike at any time and claim another victim. It was hard for the colonists to deal with disease, they had a hard time telling which one it was and often required loads of work to help heal them. According to the National Parks Service, the most common disease were cholera, dysentery, mountain fever, measles, food poisoning, smallpox, and pneumonia (Death and Danger along the Trails). As one can see, the colonists had a hard time figuring out what beast they were fighting, and how to fight it, which is why they ost so many lives. As one can see, the colonists had a hard time figuring out what beast they were fighting, and how to fight it, which is why they lost so many
4. Taylor, Sharon K. 1997. Florida Panther Biomedical Investigations. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Shukla, H.D. and S. K. Sharma. “Clostridium botulinum: A Bug with Beauty and Weapon.” Informa Healthcare 31.1 (2005): n.p. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
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Normally, cows in Northern Europe in places such as Denmark live normal lives simply grazing on grass, and existing. However, there have been recent changes that have disrupted this normal activity. Generally the bluetongue virus (spread by Culicoides imicola, a biting midge) has been confined to Southern Europe and other places around the Mediterranean. But with the increase in temperature throughout the area, the midge has been allowed to migrate northward. This new pest is a nuisance and causes lots of difficulties to farmers in the area. When a cow contracts this disease, they usually also receive oral ulcers, salivation, stiffness, fever and eventually the inevitable- death (Merck Veterinary Manual NP). Because of the increase in temperature, midges have spread around the globe infecting livestock and creating terrible trouble for many farmers.
The ducks are the biggest part of waterfowl hunting because without them there would be nothing to hunt. There are many different kinds of ducks like Mallards, Teal, Wood Ducks, Pintail, Ringneck and a ton more. Also considered waterfowl are the geese, the common snipe and merganser families.
While the Europeans were traveling to the New World, they often brought domesticated animals with them for sources of food and livestock. When animals and humans are living in close quarters together, it is very likely for exposure to germs to occur. New diseases were brought over by foreigners looking for fame and gold that killed off many of the natives in the new lands. The natives did not stand a chance against these new threats because of a lack of knowledge and supplies to cure themselves. Once the Europeans established diseases as they made land in the New World, their journey had only become easier as their competition were being wiped out from the rapid spread.
Many people hunt in the United States. Out of these people, bubonic plague has been more common among men because of the increased outdoor activities that put them at higher risk. 999 confirmed or probable human plague cases have occurred in the Un...
The human population has a high susceptibility to the contraction of new diseases and outbreaks of these diseases are of high risk. Diseases in recent times that have broken out into the human population are the H7N9 flu strain and SARS. Despite the risk, outbreaks like H7N9 and SARS have been controlled due to epidemiology and other disease control methods. Outbreaks of disease are not uncommon to the human population as they move to new areas around the world with foreign diseases that the native residents would have developed a resistance to.
Throughout history many different diseases have infected the world. Such diseases consist of measles, mumps, malaria, typhus and yellow fever. Many of these diseases are caused by different things and originated in different countries.
Wear gloves and proper cloths if handling the infected animals to prevent the direct contact.
The primary cause of Zoonotic Diseases is the result of an infectious agent. In conclusion zoonotic diseases are a growing concern in the United States that can be controlled or even prevented through simple precautionary methods and medications. Understanding that zoonotic diseases can enter a person's body through a number of ways including broken skin, eyes, mouth and lungs and even animal bites can aid you in knowing how to prevent contaminations.
Salmonella is also a bacterium that is widespread in the intestines of birds, reptiles, and mammals. It can spread to the human species a variety of different ways; through foods or animal origins. Some examples of food involved in outbreaks are eggs, poultry and other meats, raw milk and chocolate. The illnesses it causes are typically fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In people with poor underlying health or weakened immune...