[Fwd: Deaths of raptors]

Michael Gochfeld wrote:

> Your message on the relatively sudden deaths of owls and hawks is
> certainly heart rending and frightening. It would be very valuable to
> know when any of these are confirmed to be from WNV. In NJ where WNV
> caused many deaths among crows there were only a few reports (mainly in
> Red-tailed Hawks) among birds of prey. I'll survey our rehab people to
> see if there were many others that didn't get publicized.
>
> Are the dying or dead birds being tested for WNV. You have probably
> heard of the sudden death syndrome among India's vultures, where an
> infectious agent is likely. A new organism has been recently isolated
> from dying vultures, but whether it is an incidental finding or a
> causative agent is not yet known. The new agent is a Mycoplasma.
>
> I hope there is good luck in stemming the tide of the tragedy
> described. I agree that when susceptible birds are eliminated, the
> survivors can be assumed to be resistant, but it seems easier to stand
> by and watch the superabundant Crows get hit. Crow deaths have declined
> or at least are less frequently reported in NJ this year than two years
> ago. Is that because the survivors are resistant or because WNV
> activity is low.
>
> Please let people know as soon as WNV infection is confirmed (or not
> confirmed) in your birds.
>
> Sincerely yours,
> Michael Gochfeld
>
> Michael Gochfeld, MD, PhD
> Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine
> UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Received on Thu Sep 05 14:33:59 2002