Botulism in waterbirds: Mortality rates and new insights into how it spreads

(American Society for Microbiology) Outbreaks of botulism killed large percentages of waterbirds inhabiting a wetland in Spain. The botulinum toxin's spread may have been abetted by an invasive species of water snail which frequently carries the toxin-producing bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, and which is well adapted to wetlands polluted by sewage. Global warming will likely increase outbreaks, said corresponding author Rafael Mateo, Ph.D. The research was published March 25 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news