[4] Avian Botulism occurs all over the world and its understanding is important for wildlife managers, hunters, bird watchers, and anyone who owns wetland property as this disease can account for over 1,000,000 waterbird deaths in a year.
Notable locations include the Great Lakes, North Dakota, Japan, South Korea, and Saskatchewan.
[5] Furthermore, ideal habitats like those described do not all feature avian botulism in their waterfowl populations which supports there are still unknown factors at play.
Field identification involves locating birds showing flaccidity in the legs, wings and neck, as well as the presence of protuberant nictitating membrane.
Most commonly, detection of C. botulinum in carcasses during lab work is accomplished through analysis of polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and is often the most successful method.
Frequent surveillance of sites at risk is needed for early detection of the disease in order to take action and remove carcasses.
[3] However may be effective in reducing mortality for endangered island waterfowl and small non-migratory wild populations.