Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 09:23:24 -0600 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Don Stein Subject: Re: Where are the Titmice? Dead of West Nile Virus? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > From: Kathy Klimkiewicz > Date: 2003/11/03 Mon AM 10:31:59 CST > To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM > Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Where are the Titmice? Dead of West Nile > Virus? > > Dave -- > > Thanks for the words of caution. Thought I would mention that the > neurological signs shown by the American Goldfinch could be from > striking a window and cannot be automatically attributed to WNV. > > Cheers, > Kathy > > Kathy Klimkiewicz, Biologist > USGS Patuxent WRC BBL > 12100 Beech Forest RD STE 4037 > Laurel MD 20708-4037 > 301-497-5795 work > Fax 301-497-5717 > Kathy_Klimkiewicz@usgs.gov > www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl > > > > > David Mozurkewich > C.NET> cc: > Sent by: Maryland Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Where are the Titmice? Dead of > Birds & Birding West Nile Virus? > .LSOFT.COM> > > > 11/02/03 09:08 PM > Please respond to > Maryland Birds & > Birding > > > > > > > On Sun, 2 Nov 2003, Carol Schreter wrote: > > >... > > So, why are there no titmice in some areas? Could very well be West > >Nile virus. > > Or maybe not. It could be the distribution of natural food sources. > > >... > > I got one carcass to the Dept. of Agriculture's Animal Lab in > >Frederick, Md, to Dr. Virginia Pierce. She did a necropsy and then > >sent a tissue sample to Texas for West Nile Virus testing. > >Diagnosis: This bird died of a combination of West Nile Virus (WNV) > >and fungal pneumonia (transmitted by air-borne spores). Bird was > >probably weakened by the pneumonia first, then died of West Nile > >virus -- without showing any of the characteristic signs of WNV, > >such as enlarged heart or enlarged brain. > > I don't know what test was used to determine this bird died from WNV, > but most tests for viral diseases involve testing for the antibodies. > If so, a positive test-result means the bird had the disease sometime > in the past. It does not mean the bird had an active and fatal case > of the disease when it died. For a new, rare, or always fatal > disease, an antibody test is sufficient. But for a common, mild > disease it tells us almost nothing. Everyone who dies in automobile > accidents will test positive for common cold antibodies, but you > cannot then claim they died from the common cold. Since the bird did > not show any of the "secondary" indicators of the disease (listed at > the end of the previous paragraph), I am unwilling to accept the > diagnosis without more information. > > Does anyone besides me remember the first year of this epidemic? Of > all the dead birds turned in for testing that year, MORE THAN HALF > died of pesticide poisoning and had no evidence of having encountered > WNV. Now that WNV is so widespread, all deaths seem to be attributed > to the disease > -- just like they were before the initial testing that revealed the > pesticide poisoning. This is too convenient; pesticide deaths are no > longer being reported but I have seen no evidence that our practices > involving those chemicals have improved. > > Before the flames hit, I am NOT saying that the dangers of West Vile > Nirus are a hoax; I AM CAUTIONING against attributing ALL evils to the > current bad guy. > > Dave > David Mozurkewich > Seabrook, PG MD USA > mozurk at bellAtlantic.net > > ====================================================================== > = > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > > ====================================================================== > = > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================