CCB. Artículos indexados en Scopus · 2026
Botulism in wild birds and its association with water quality at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Miami, Florida
Botulism, caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, is a disease of great importance in public and animal health, being the most common cause of death in wild birds worldwide, mainly affecting aquatic and shore birds. In October 2022, a significant increase in clinical cases of avian botulism was identified at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, in Miami, Florida, the United States of America. The objective of the present study was to analyze report cases of avian botulism and its association with water quality from Biscayne Bay of Miami, Florida. Between June and October 2022, 130 animals with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of botulism were received at the Wildlife Center of the PHSS. The clinical histories were obtained, which were systematized in a database to perform descriptive analyses and estimate prevalence, lethality, and mortality indicators. The association of the presence of botulism and water quality was carried out using Spearman ́s correlation coefficient for non-parametric data and risk analysis with the calculation of chi-squared test (X2) and odds ratio (OR). The results showed that the prevalence of avian botulism was 20.7% in the period, with the mortality varying between 9% and 19% and lethality between 54% to 90%. The most affected species were Eudocimus albus (American white ibis) and Leucophaeus atricilla (laughing gull). The main clinical signs observed were limb paralysis (92%). An association was found between the disease and combined water quality, water clarity, and nitrogen. The risk analysis was statistically significant for combined water quality (OR=1.96) and nitrogen (OR=0.21). A possible association between the disease and water was identified, however, more studies are needed to determine the influence of different water quality parameters and the bird botulism