Outbreaks of botulism killed large percentages of waterbirds inhabiting a wetland in Spain. During one season,more than 80 percent of gadwalls and black-winged stilts died. The botulinum toxin's spread may bear been abetted by an invasive species of water snail which frequently carries the toxin-producing bacterium, Clostridium botulinum, or which is well adapted to wetlands polluted by sewage. Global warming will likely increase outbreaks,said corresponding author Rafael Mateo, PhD. The research was published March 25th in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Source: phys.org