Disease Prevention

Regular pond and lake cleaning by U.S. Aqua Vac helps prevent a variety of diseases, including avian botulism. Every year, many ducks are paralyzed or die after being exposed to the toxin produced by botulinum bacterium. Clostridium Botulinum Type C (also referred to as limberneck disease) is one of the major problems wild migratory ducks face. Type C outbreaks are more common in the western states, though they also occur in the east. Humans, cats, and dogs are generally not affected by Type C botulism.

Clostridium Botulinum Type C causes paralysis by attacking the nervous system, acting more like a poison than an infection. As the disease progresses in ducks, different levels of paralysis are observed. An early indication that a duck has been affected is its inability to fly or dive, and diarrhea may also occur. The legs are the next area where paralysis strikes. Once the legs have become paralyzed, ducks are often observed using their wings to propel themselves across the water. Eyelids droop as the inner eyelid becomes paralyzed and, eventually, the neck goes limp. At this point, ducks drown due to their inability to hold their heads above water. Affected ducks that do not drown die of respiratory failure.

Botulism Type C spores exist in lake and pond bottoms and thrive when air temperatures rise and water and oxygen levels drop. A hot, dry summer increases the probability of outbreaks. As water levels drop, the bacteria are exposed. Ducks ingest the bacteria when they feed on invertebrate carcasses that harbor the toxin. The toxin can exist in the live maggots that feed on carcasses.

The problem starts with certain bacteria growth in the muck that lies at the bottom of the water. Research to date has concluded that the number-one way of preventing or taking control of an outbreak is by removing the mucky sediment and the bacteria in it. The quick removal of carcasses also greatly helps to prevent large outbreaks. Carcasses provide an environment in which the toxin continues to produce and in which maggots develop. Wildfowl suffering from botulism can be saved if properly cared for. The most helpful thing rehabilitators can do for ducks with botulism in its early stage is provide them with fresh water and keep them in a cool place. Antitoxins are also available, but are expensive. Regulating water levels and controlling insect populations assist in the prevention of large outbreaks.

 

West Nile Virus

A war rages along our Atlantic Seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Thousands of birds have already died in this war, and millions of dollars have been spent to combat the foe. The enemy: the West Nile virus, a deadly disease never before encountered by the birds in North America. With your help, this epidemic may be slowed, halted, and possibly reversed.

The West Nile virus was first isolated in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937, but only recently has it been detected in North America. The virus is primarily a disease of wild birds, spread from bird to bird and from bird to mammal by the bite of a female mosquito. Besides killing birds, the virus can cause deadly brain diseases in humans and horses.

The odds of humans contracting the West Nile virus are extremely low, and birds themselves pose no threat to humans. The virus cannot be transmitted directly from birds to people, or from people to people. You cannot get the virus from touching a live or dead infected bird. Infected mosquitoes (which only bite live birds) are the principal transmitters of the virus.

The spread of the virus threat can be slowed down (or dispersed) by taking a few precautions. Mosquitoes breed mostly in dirty pond and swampy, marsh-like areas. Keeping areas with water clean will greatly slow down the breeding grounds of the mosquito. Ponds, marinas, lakes, and even pools are all areas that if kept clean, will lower the number of mosquitoes and the chances of a West Nile virus incident.

Even in areas where the virus has been detected, less than 1% of mosquitoes are carriers. And even if bitten by an infected mosquito, less than 1% of humans would become ill. Of the tiny amount of the human population that becomes ill, most exhibit only mild flu-like symptoms. Even among the elderly, who are the ones most at risk, the chances of severe infection are low.

How did this insidious virus reach our shores? No one knows. An infected bird may have been smuggled into the U.S. from Africa or Asia, or virus-infected mosquitoes may have hitched a ride in a plane or in the hold of a ship. The good news is that with the exception of American Crows and other corvids, there are only a few individual birds from 18 species that have hosted the virus.

Crows and jays appear to be highly sensitive to the virus. As many as 10,000 crows died of the disease in metropolitan New York in 1999. Some people have blamed crows for spreading the disease, but scientists think that is unlikely. Crows are victims—not the bad guys. Like the canary in the mineshaft, crows can alert us to the presence of the virus in time to limit the damage done by infected mosquitoes.

 

 

Contact us to learn more about how our nationwide lake and pond cleaning services can remove the muck, sludge, silt, and sediment from your lake and pond. (866) 989-MUCK