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12 pages, 2583 KiB

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Silent Bird Poisoning in Poland: Reconfirmation of Bromadiolone and Warfarin as the Proximal Causes Using GC-MS/MS-Based Methodology for Forensic Investigations

by Damian Kobylarz, Łukasz Paprotny, Dorota Wianowska, Maciej Gnatowski and Kamil Jurowski

Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(6), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17060764 - 11 Jun 2024

Viewed by 2394

Abstract

The extensive use of rodenticides poses a severe threat to non-target species, particularly birds of prey and scavengers. In this study, a GC-MS/MS-based method was used to unlock the cause of bird deaths in Poland. Organs (liver, heart, kidney, and lungs) collected during autopsies of two rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and one carrion crow (Corvus corone corone), as well as fecal samples, were analyzed for the presence of anticoagulant coumarin derivatives, i.e., warfarin and bromadiolone. As for warfarin, the highest concentration was found in crow samples overall, with concentrations in the feces and lungs at 5.812 ± 0.368 µg/g and 4.840 ± 0.256 µg/g, respectively. The heart showed the lowest concentration of this compound (0.128 ± 0.01 µg/g). In the case of bromadiolone, the highest concentration was recorded in the liver of a rook (16.659 ± 1.499 µg/g) and this concentration significantly exceeded the levels in the other samples. By revealing the reality of the threat, these discoveries emphasize the need to regulate and monitor the trade in rodenticides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Pharmaceutical Technology)

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11 pages, 1055 KiB

Open AccessArticle

West Nile Virus Lineage 2 in Free-Living Corvus cornix Birds in Poland

by Jowita S. Niczyporuk, Wojciech Kozdrun, Agnieszka Czujkowska, Yannick Blanchard, Mariteragi Helle, Nolwenn M. Dheilly and Gaelle Gonzalez

Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(8), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8080417 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2936

Abstract

The summer temperatures recorded in Poland in 2022 were among the highest in over 30 years and, combined with higher-than-expected rainfall, gave the impression of an almost tropical climate. Such climatic conditions were ideal for the transmission of vector-borne zoonotic diseases such as West Nile fever. In northeastern Poland, in the Mazowieckie region, the Polish event-based surveillance network reported increased fatalities of free-living hooded crows (Corvus corone cornix). West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2 was identified for the first time as the etiological agent responsible for the death of the birds. WNV was detected in 17 out of the 99 (17.17%) free-living birds tested in this study. All the WNV-infected dead birds were collected in the same area and were diagnosed in September by the NVRI and confirmed by the EURL for equine diseases, ANSES, in October 2022. Unnaturally high temperatures recorded in Poland in 2022 likely favored the infection and spread of the virus in the avian population. A nationwide alert and awareness raising of blood transfusion centers and hospitals was carried out to prevent human infections by WNV. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Solutions in Combating Major Infections in Mid-Income and Low-Income Countries: An Interdisciplinary Perspective)

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12 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in Different Wild Bird Species Admitted to Rehabilitation Centres in Portugal

by Carolina Lopes, Ricardo Brandão, Ana Filipa Lopes, Roberto Sargo, María Casero, Carolina Nunes, Filipe Silva, Jitender P. Dubey, Luís Cardoso and Ana Patrícia Lopes

Pathogens 2021, 10(9), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10091144 - 5 Sep 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3706

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide zoonotic parasite. According to the “One Health” approach, studies on toxoplasmosis are essential since it affects humans and domestic and wild animals. In the present study, antibodies to T. gondii were determined in serum samples from 263 wild birds located in five wildlife rehabilitation centres in mainland Portugal by using the modified agglutination test (MAT) with a cut-off titre of 20. An overall seroprevalence of 36.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.7–42.6) was observed. For the first time, antibodies to T. gondii were detected in some avian species, including pallid swift (Apus pallidus) (33.3%), black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) (39.3%), European turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur) (100%), bee-eater (Merops apiaster) (50.0%), carrion crow (Corvus corone) (33.3%), and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) (100%), which expands the list of intermediate hosts of T. gondii. A lower seroprevalence was found in juvenile birds (31.9%) compared to adults (48.7%) (p = 0.016). The central region of Portugal was considered a risk factor for T. gondii infection in wild birds (odds ratio: 3.61; 95% CI: 1.09–11.91). This pioneer study calls attention to the need for further studies, to provide a clearer understanding of T. gondii epidemiology in Portugal, because it reflects wide dispersion of T. gondii oocysts in the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxoplasma)

17 pages, 1284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carrion Crows and Azure-Winged Magpies Show No Prosocial Tendencies When Tested in a Token Transfer Paradigm

by Lisa Horn, Jeroen S. Zewald, Thomas Bugnyar and Jorg J. M. Massen

Animals 2021, 11(6), 1526; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061526 - 24 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3632

Abstract

To study the evolution of humans’ cooperative nature, researchers have recently sought comparisons with other species. Studies investigating corvids, for example, showed that carrion crows and azure-winged magpies delivered food to group members when tested in naturalistic or simple experimental paradigms. Here, we investigated whether we could replicate these positive findings when testing the same two species in a token transfer paradigm. After training the birds to exchange tokens with an experimenter for food rewards, we tested whether they would also transfer tokens to other birds, when they did not have the opportunity to exchange the tokens themselves. To control for the effects of motivation, and of social or stimulus enhancement, we tested each individual in three additional control conditions. We witnessed very few attempts and/or successful token transfers, and those few instances did not occur more frequently in the test condition than in the controls, which would suggest that the birds lack prosocial tendencies. Alternatively, we propose that this absence of prosociality may stem from the artificial nature and cognitive complexity of the token transfer task. Consequently, our findings highlight the strong impact of methodology on animals’ capability to exhibit prosocial tendencies and stress the importance of comparing multiple experimental paradigms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Behavioural Methods to Study Cognitive Capacities of Animals)

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15 pages, 2402 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Waste Disposal Sites as All-You-Can Eat Buffets for Carrion Crows (Corvus corone)

by Doris Preininger, Bjoern Schoas, Diether Kramer and Markus Boeckle

Animals 2019, 9(5), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9050215 - 4 May 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6109

Abstract

In cities and densely populated areas, several corvid species are considered nuisance animals. In Austria, particularly carrion (Corvus corone) and hooded crows (C. cornix) are regarded as pests by the general public that frequently cause damage to crops, feed on human waste, and thus spread trash. We conducted a detailed one-year field survey to estimate the abundance of carrion crows in relation to potential anthropogenic food sources and reference sites in the Austrian Rhine valley. Our results demonstrated that the number and proximity of waste management facilities, animal feeding areas, and agricultural areas, and the productive capacity of agricultural areas, predominantly influenced habitat choice and abundance of carrion crows. In the current study, the probability of observing more than two carrion crows at a survey site decreased with increasing human population density. Moreover, the abundance of crows increased despite a continuous increase in crow hunting kills registered during the past 25 years. Our study suggests a regionally comprehensive waste management plan could serve as a promising strategy to manage nuisance birds. A reduction in anthropogenic food supply through improved waste management practices is required for long-term, sustainable management to limit the abundance of crow populations in and close to urban environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Ecology and Conservation)

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