Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3, Canada.
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada.
J Wildl Dis. 2021 Jul 1;57(3):601-611. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00227.
Marine birds are frequently found dead on beaches, either from natural or from anthropogenic causes. Complete necropsies of those carcasses can provide valuable information, particularly for pelagic species, such as Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and shearwaters, which come to land only to breed and for which information on diseases that may affect them is, therefore, sparse. Between 2000 and 2012, 315 carcasses of four species of Procellariiformes (173 Northern Fulmars, 89 Great Shearwaters [Ardenna gravis], 50 Sooty Shearwaters [Ardenna grisea], and three Cory's Shearwaters [Calonectris diomedea]) were collected on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, an isolated island near the edge of the continental shelf. A complete necropsy, including examination for the presence of ingested plastic, was performed on all carcasses. Most (70%) of these birds were immature. The cause of death was undetermined in 22% (n=70) of the birds: 36% (62/173) of the Northern Fulmars, 4% (4/89) of the Great Shearwaters, 6% (3/50) of the Sooty Shearwaters, and 33% (1/3) of the Cory's Shearwaters. Emaciation was considered the primary cause of death in 91% of the remaining 245 birds: 87% (97/111) of the Northern Fulmars, 92% (78/85) of the Great Shearwaters, 100% (47/47) of the Sooty Shearwaters, and 100% (2/2) of the Cory's Shearwaters. Notable primary causes of death other than emaciation included mycobacteriosis and neoplasia in Northern Fulmars and transmural parasitic proventriculitis in Great Shearwaters. For Northern Fulmars, nutritional condition (as determined semiquantitatively) was compared with other parameters. Birds in good nutritional condition had heavier body mass and flight muscle mass than those in poor nutritional condition (P<0.01). More adults were in poor nutritional condition than expected by chance (91%; χ2=8.23, P<0.01), whereas only 57% of immature birds were in poor condition. There was no relationship between nutritional condition and sex or mass of ingested plastic. Our study provides information on some previously unsuspected health threats in Procellariiformes.
海洋鸟类经常在海滩上死亡，这些死亡可能是由自然原因或人为原因造成的。对这些尸体进行全面尸检可以提供有价值的信息，特别是对于那些只在繁殖期间上岸的远洋物种，例如北方管鼻鹱（Fulmarus glacialis）和剪水鹱，因此，关于可能影响它们的疾病的信息很少。2000 年至 2012 年，在加拿大新斯科舍省的萨布尔岛（位于大陆架边缘附近的一个孤立岛屿）收集了四种管鼻鹱（173 只北方管鼻鹱、89 只大剪水鹱、50 只黑叉尾海燕和 3 只白腰叉尾海燕）的 315 具尸体。对所有尸体进行了全面尸检，包括检查是否摄入了塑料。这些鸟类中大多数（70%）为幼鸟。在 22%（70 只）的鸟类中，死因未确定：36%（62/173 只）的北方管鼻鹱、4%（4/89 只）的大剪水鹱、6%（3/50 只）的黑叉尾海燕和 33%（1/3 只）的白腰叉尾海燕。消瘦被认为是其余 245 只鸟类死亡的主要原因：87%（97/111 只）的北方管鼻鹱、92%（78/85 只）的大剪水鹱、100%（47/47 只）的黑叉尾海燕和 100%（2/2 只）的白腰叉尾海燕。消瘦以外的其他主要死因包括北方管鼻鹱的分枝杆菌病和肿瘤以及大剪水鹱的穿透性寄生性前胃炎。对于北方管鼻鹱，营养状况（通过半定量方法确定）与其他参数进行了比较。营养状况良好的鸟类体重和飞行肌肉质量比营养状况较差的鸟类重（P<0.01）。营养不良的成年鸟类比预期的机会多（91%；χ2=8.23，P<0.01），而只有 57%的幼鸟处于不良状态。营养状况与性别或摄入塑料的质量之间没有关系。我们的研究提供了一些以前未被怀疑的管鼻鹱类健康威胁的信息。
