Since 2001, avian botulism has become a major issue in eastern Lake Erie along the coastal region of New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada. New York Sea Grant extension took leadership in getting state and federal agencies together with researchers to develop a research and outreach agenda.
The topic of botulism in Lakes Erie and Ontario is being addressed in the following Sea Grant research projects.
2004 - 2006
Prevalence of Botulism in the Food Chain of the Lower Great Lakes (Bowser/Getchell)
2/01/2004-1/31/2006 R/CTP-31
This project seeks to determine the role of organisms at different trophic levels in the movement of botulism from the sediments through invertebrates to higher vertebrates such as fish. Determining the prevalence of C. botulinum in the food items consumed by the fish provides wildlife pathologists information about the sources and pathways of botulism in the environment.
Algal Pigments as Biomarkers Linking Fish and Benthic Organisms with Type E Botulism (Alben/Perez-Fuentetaja)
3/01/2004-2/28/2006 R/CTP-32
This project seeks to determine the dietary pathways leading to Type E Botulism in fish and birds in Lake Erie, using the presence of algal carotenoids in tissues of food organisms. With this information, scientists will better understand and evaluate the food-web origins and transfer of Type E botulism (Clostridium botulinum) toxin from benthic organisms to fish.
Prevalence of Botulism in Fish in the Lower Great Lakes (Bowser/Getchell)
1/1/2002-9/30/2004 R/SHH-12
This team will investigate the role that fish play in mortalities of waterfowl on Lake Erie from the causative agent of botulism, C. botulinum. This project fills a critical research gap and will provide government agencies with information essential for managing natural resources and protecting human health.
Extension of this research
SUNY Research Foundation, University at Buffalo Great Lakes Program
Botulism Outbreaks and the Lake Erie Fishery (Domske)
2004-2005
With the emergence of botulism as a threat to the bird and fish populations of the Great Lakes, NYSG has responded with workshops, proceedings, websites, research meetings, and public presentations designed to provide information and linkages among researchers, managers and the public.
2002 - 2004
Prevalence of Botulism in Fish in the Lower Great Lakes
(Bowser/Getchell)
R/SHH-12 1/1/2002 - 1/31/2004
Botulism, an emerging issue in Lake Erie, is a bacterial disease that can wipe out entire flocks of waterfowl. The role of fish in the recent botulism-induced waterfowl mortalities, however, is unknown. So, Cornell University investigators Paul Bowser and Rod Getchell aim to clarify the role of fish populations by sampling them in their natural habitats for the gene coding for the botulism toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. "Our goal is to supply this information to government agencies responsible for managing the natural resources and providing for the health and welfare of the human population so that they can better address these issues."
The primary objective of the project is to determine the prevalence of the botulism bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, in healthy, moribund, and dead fish in areas of confirmed botulism outbreaks and in unaffected areas in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Answers will be sought to the questions:
Are bacteria more likely to be present in healthy, moribund or dead fish
- Is one species of fish more likely to carry the bacteria
- Does the toxin form in fish prior to and after death
- Are fish carrying the bacteria associated with waterfowl death events?
The researchers are working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to collect fish, primarily carp and round gobies, from both lakes for examination. Tests will assess the cause of death as well as other pathogens present in the fish.
Extension of this research
SUNY Research Foundation, University at Buffalo Great Lakes Program
Botulism Outbreaks and the Lake Erie Fishery (Domske)
2002-2003
With the emergence of botulism as a threat to the bird and fish populations of the Great Lakes, NYSG has responded with workshops, proceedings, websites, research meetings, and public presentations designed to provide information and linkages among researchers, managers and the public.
