Brevetoxin as Cause of Summer Mortality in Common Murres (Uria aalge) in California
IAAAM Archive
David A. Jessup1; Jack Ames1; Greg Bossart2; James Hill3; Ben Gonzales4; Andrew DeVogelaere5
1California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; 2University of Miami Medical Center and Miami Sea Aquarium, Miami, FL, USA; 3CVD-Idexx, West Sacramento, CA, USA; 4California Department of Fish and Game, Rancho Cordova, CA, USA; 5Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey, CA, USA

Abstract

In August of 1997 approximately 400 common murres (Uria aalge) were found dead in a relatively confined area of the southern end of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, California. This dieoff occurred at a time when there was a "red tide" event in the area. The primary gross lesions were serosanguinous rhinitis and pulmonary edema. Immunohistochemical staining showed presence of brevetoxin within lung tissue in patterns similar to those seen in manatees dying of brevetoxicosis. This is the first report of inhaled brevetoxin killing birds on the Pacific coast. In retrospect, brevetoxicosis is suspected in several previous common murre dieoffs in Monterey Bay, California, each involving hundreds of murres and each occurring during months with warmer ocean temperatures. Changes in seawater temperature and quality, which may be related to human activity within the near shore environment, as well as global climate change, El Nino events and natural ocean cycles may influence algal species and abundance.

Speaker Information
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David A. Jessup, DVM, MPVM, DACZM
California Department of Fish and Game
Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center
Santa Cruz, CA, USA


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