<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>J. Christian Franson</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Carol U. Meteyer</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Tuula E. Hollmén</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Lee Skerratt</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2005</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;A number of factors were identified as causes of mortality in 254 (59%) of 431 sea ducks submitted for necropsy at the USGS-National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin from 1975 until 2003. Bacteria causing large outbreaks of mortality were&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Pasteurella multocida&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Clostridium botulinum&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Type E. Starvation was responsible for large mortality events as well as sporadic deaths of individuals. Lead toxicity, gunshot and exposure to petroleum were important anthropogenic factors. Other factors that caused mortality were avian pox virus, bacteria (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Clostridium botulinum&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;Type C,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Riemerella anatipestifer&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;and&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Clostridium perfringens&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;), fungi (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Aspergillus fumigatus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;and an unidentified fungus), protozoans (unidentified coccidia), nematodes (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Eustrongylides&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;spp.), trematodes (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Sphaeridiotrema globulus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Schistosoma&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;spp.), acanthocephalans (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Polymorphus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;spp.), predation, cyanide and trauma (probably due to collisions). There were also a number of novel infectious organisms in free-living sea ducks in North America, which were incidental to the death, including avipoxvirus and reovirus, bacteria&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Mycobacterium avium&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;, protozoans&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Sarcocystis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;sp. and nematodes&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="genus-species"&gt;Streptocara&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;sp. Apart from anthropogenic factors, the other important mortality factors listed here have not been studied as possible causes for the decline of sea ducks in North America.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.1675/1524-4695(2005)028[0193:COMISD]2.0.CO;2</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>The Waterbird Society</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Causes of mortality in sea ducks (Mergini) necropsied at the USGS-National Wildlife Health Center</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>