National Wildlife Disease Program (NWDP)
Recent Activities: SOUTH CAROLINA
| DISEASE SURVEILLANCE
- avian influenza
- feral swine diseases
SPECIAL INTEREST
HPAI surveillance (July 2008)
WDB Owen along with personnel from the South Carolina Wildlife
Services program continued
HPAI surveillance efforts to sample resident waterfowl in South Carolina.
They collected 60
samples from resident Canada geese in addition to 100 samples from resident
wood ducks. To
date they have collected 184 samples during the resident season in South
Carolina. WDB Owen and collaborators plan to collect an additional 75
samples during August and September to reach their resident season goal
of 250 samples.
South Carolina collects coots for AVM testing
(2008)
WDB Owen assisted the SC Department of Natural Resources with routine
monitoring of area reservoirs for signs of avian vacuolar myelinopathy
(AVM). AVM causes open space lesions in the myelin of the brain and
spinal cord primarily affecting waterfowl and raptors. During search
efforts 2 sick and one dead American Coots believed to be infected with
AVM were collected. Several aquatic vegetation samples were also collected
in order to detect toxins found in algae growing on the vegetation.
These toxins are suspected to be the cause of AVM.
Contact: Wildlife Disease Biologist Jesse Lujan
Jesse.V.Lujan@aphis.usda.gov
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