Health status of seabirds and coastal birds found at the German North Sea coast

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

Peter Wohlsein¹  Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff²  Stefan Garthe⁵  Timm Harder⁴  Nils Guse⁵  Philipp Schwemmer⁵  Ursula Siebert³ 

[1]Institut für Pathologie, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Bünteweg 17, Hannover, 30559, Germany

[2]Institut für Hygiene und Infektionskrankheiten der Tiere, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 85-89, Giessen, 35392, Germany

[3]Institut für Terrestrische und Aquatische Wildtierforschung, Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Werftstr. 6, Buesum, 25761, Germany

[4]O.I.E., FAO und Nationales Referenzlabor für Aviäre Influenza, Institut für Virusdiagnostik, Friedrich-Löffler-Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany

[5]Forschungs- und Technologiezentrum Westküste, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hafentoern 1, Buesum, 25761, Germany

关键词: German waters;    North Sea;    Pathology;    Coastal birds;    Seabirds;   

Others  :  789457
DOI  :  10.1186/1751-0147-54-43

 received in 2012-02-17, accepted in 2012-06-29,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Systematic pathological investigations to assess the health status of seabirds and coastal birds in Germany were performed. The investigation was conducted to obtain data on possible causes of decline in seabird and coastal bird populations.

Methods

48 individuals of 11 different species of seabirds and coastal birds were collected by the stranding network along the entire German North Sea coast from 1997 to 2008, including mainly waders such as Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) and red knots (Calidris canutus) as well as seabirds such as northern fulmars (Fulmaris glacialis) and common scoters (Melanitta nigra).

For most birds (n = 31) found dead along the shore no obvious cause of death was evident, while 17 individuals were killed by collisions with lighthouses.

Results

Overall, the nutritional status of the investigated birds was very poor, and the body mass in most cases was significantly lower compared to masses of living birds caught during the same periods of the year. This is partly linked to chronic parasitic or bacterial infections in different organs or to septicaemia. In some cases infections with zoonotic tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium spp. were found. Avian influenza was not found in any of the collected birds.

Conclusion

The presented data contribute to the evaluation of the health status of birds in the German North Sea. Moreover, they present an important tool for the assessment of potential pathogens with an impact on the health status of seabirds and coastal birds.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Siebert et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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