Abstract
In the fall of 2021, a significant mortality event in free-ranging Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) occurred on a soccer field in southern Brazil. Approximately 130 adult southern lapwings died after showing weakness and flaccid paralysis, characterized by the inability to move or fly and drooped wings. Due to the large number of animals affected, there was concern that they had been criminally poisoned. The affected birds were found to have ingested maggots in fresh poultry litter incorporated into the grass surface. Postmortem examinations of four southern lapwings revealed no significant gross and histological findings. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for influenza A virus, flavivirus, and paramyxovirus was negative. Based on the epidemiological and clinical findings and the negative viral results, a presumptive diagnosis of botulism was made. This diagnosis was confirmed through mouse bioassay and seroneutralization, which detected botulinum toxin type C. Maggots loaded with botulinum neurotoxins were the probable vehicle for intoxication in the outbreak. Considering the impact of avian botulism on wild bird populations, our results may help prevent similar outbreaks in the future.
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Funding
This research was financed in part by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ní́vel Superior (CAPES), Brasil – Finance code 001.
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Igor Ribeiro dos Santos, Jacqueline Raiter, Carolina Buss Brunner, Franciéli Adriane Molossi, Luan Cleber Henker, Tainah Pereira Dal Pont, Laura Junqueira de Camargo, Raquel Silva Alves, Cláudio Wageck Canal, Andressa da Silva Martins, Tamires Ataides Silva, Ana Carolina Borsanelli, and David Driemeier. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Igor Ribeiro dos Santos and all authors commented on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The authors of the article entitled “An outbreak of type C botulism in free-ranging Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)” declared, for all due purposes, that the project that gave rise to the present data agrees with the content of the Brazilian resolutions of the National Council for Control of Animal Experimentation – CONCEA where it involves animals. The authors assume full responsibility for the presented data and are available for possible questions should they be required by the competent authorities.
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dos Santos, I.R., Raiter, J., Brunner, C.B. et al. An outbreak of type C botulism in free-ranging Southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis). Vet Res Commun 48, 1239–1243 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-023-10264-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-023-10264-1