Avian Botulism in Distressed Great Lakes Environments

Dates

Start Date: 2010

Summary

Description of Work A Department of Interior team, including U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), is working to determine why botulism outbreaks, which have killed large numbers of fish and fish-eating birds, are occurring in the Great Lakes. This project will determine: 1) a quick assay test for the presence of the toxin , 2) how birds are exposed to the toxins, and 3) what factors combined trigger an outbreak. This information will be used to formulate management strategies. Botulism intoxication is caused by ingestion of neurotoxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Periodic outbreaks of type E botulism have resulted in die-offs of fish and fish-eating birds [...]

Summary

Description of Work

A Department of Interior team, including U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), is working to determine why botulism outbreaks, which have killed large numbers of fish and fish-eating birds, are occurring in the Great Lakes. This project will determine: 1) a quick assay test for the presence of the toxin , 2) how birds are exposed to the toxins, and 3) what factors combined trigger an outbreak. This information will be used to formulate management strategies. Botulism intoxication is caused by ingestion of neurotoxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Periodic outbreaks of type E botulism have resulted in die-offs of fish and fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes since at least the 1960s, but outbreaks have become more common and widespread since 1999. Botulism has been responsible for over 100,000 bird deaths on the Great Lakes since 1999, and extensive bird mortality in northern Lake Michigan near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE; over 4150 birds in 2007) received widespread press attention and caused great public concern. The actual sites of toxin exposure for birds remain unknown. Spores of C. botulinum are naturally widely distributed in the environment, but toxin production occurs only when suitable environmental conditions allow spore germination and cell growth, and this may be related to local soil and water conditions. The physical and ecological factors that are associated with toxin production, waterbird exposure, and botulism outbreaks are poorly understood in the Great Lakes, as in other environments. Invasive species, particularly dreissenid mussels Dreissena spp. and round gobies Neogobius melanostomus, have been implicated in the recent increased occurrence of botulism mortality in Great Lakes fish and birds, but this has not been proven. Dreissenid mussels may enhance nearshore algal growth, and decomposing algae may help create the anoxic conditions required for C. botulinum germination. We hypothesize that recent increases in the incidence of type E avian botulism outbreaks in the Great Lakes may be associated with the presence of large amounts of decomposing sloughed Cladophora. We propose to determine the presence or absence of C. botulinum and type E botulinum toxin in sediments. In FY 2013, targeted sampling sites will be chosen in northern Lake Michigan near SLBE to represent sites that support varying amounts of sloughed Cladophora at a range of depths throughout the season.We further propose to use population surveys to assess waterbird distribution, with emphasis on species historically impacted by type E botulism (e.g., Common Loon Gavia immer), to examine the spatial relationships between bird distribution and carcass detection of confirmed botulism mortalities, and to analyze the relation between botulism in birds and environmental conditions at locations where toxin exposure is likely to occur.

Relevance & Impact

Botulinum toxin is the most toxic natural substance on earth. Botulism has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of fish and birds in the Great Lakes since 1999, including federally endangered Piping Plovers and imperiled lake sturgeon. The proliferation of botulism in the Great Lakes represents a serious challenge to Great Lakes restoration efforts. Through this GLRI-funded project, the USGS is bringing together scientists with diverse areas of expertise to address botulism outbreaks in the Great Lakes. This team of experts is taking a comprehensive approach to understanding what factors need to link together to trigger a botulism outbreak, and how future outbreaks can be predicted and prevented in the Great Lakes. Scientists are developing methods to detect the presence of botulinum toxin in the environment and determining how the botulinum toxin reaches bird populations through Great Lakes food webs.

Key Findings

GLRI funding is now allowing USGS scientists to make breakthroughs in the prediction and prevention of botulism outbreaks. Scientists have developed and are refining a rapid and cost-effective methodology to detect botulinum toxin. This technology is an important tool that will make assessment of the presence of botulinum toxin much more efficient in the Great Lakes. This technology will also have valuable applications to other systems. This GLRI project is providing critical information toward understanding the factors that promote the proliferation of botulinum toxin in the Great Lakes. The information that this project is generating allows managers to better predict future outbreaks and, ultimately, will allow managers to develop strategies to prevent future outbreaks from occurring, providing great benefits to restoration efforts for the Great Lakes.

Sediment samples were collected during 2010-2012 near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on Lake Michigan. A total of 435 samples were analyzed for the presence of the botulinum toxin gene. Results from this analysis are used to understand the ways through which birds come into contact with botulinum toxin. A new method to detect botulinum toxin has been developed that performs as well as the “gold-standard” traditional method. The new method is faster and cheaper than the traditional method, and is a major step forward in the study of botulism. Scientists have learned that avian botulism is the main cause of bird mortality in Lake Michigan. Over 950 sick or dead birds have been collected through this project. Seventy-six birds have been tested for botulinum toxin, of which 42 were positive (55% positive). The distribution and migration of over 175 Common Loons have been tracked to reveal where loons are likely to be exposed to prey fish carrying botulinum toxin.

Products

Scientists obtained the first ever dive profiles for loons and have learned that loons dive as deep as 150 feet to feed in Lake Michigan.

You can track movements of loons by visiting the USGS loon migration website: ( http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html)

A citizen science program (Lake Michigan Volunteer AMBLE: Avian Monitoring for Botulism Lakeshore Events) was established to collect data on bird carcasses that wash ashore near Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and across the lake in Door County, Wisconsin. This team effort has considerably increased our knowledge of the timing, numbers, and species affected by avian botulism.

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Contacts

Principal Investigator :: Stephen Riley
Associate Project Chief :: Jonathan M Sleeman
Lead Organization :: Great Lakes Science Center

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Related External Resources

Type: Web Link

Project Home Page	http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/#/Browse/fahw/539773f8e4b0f7580bc0b420
Related Resource	http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html

Type: Browse Image

Browse Image	http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/projects/habitat_and_wildlife/images/avian_botulism_web.png

Type: PDF Download

Related Resource	http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/sites/default/files/infosheets/GLRI732013AvianBotulism20130912.pdf

Purpose

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop management actions to reduce fish and bird mortality during botulism outbreaks. If, as we suspect, recent increases in botulism outbreaks are due to the presence of large amounts of decomposing algae, the presence of which is due to the effects of dreissenid mussels, then this will represent a reduction in the negative effects of dreissenids on fish and bird populations in the Great Lakes. However, work funded by this template will gather data that will help reduce the number of beach closure days and will contribute to rapid responses for mock action plans but will not directly meet the measures listed above.

Project Extension

projectStatus	In Progress

Avian Botulism in Distressed Great Lakes Environments

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