State Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife officers have detected a freak winter outbreak of deadly Type E botulism among waterfowl in nearby Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

The deadly disease has killed thousands of birds including mergansers, loons, grebes, diving ducks and gulls. No cause for the unusual cold weather outbreak has been found but an intense investigation is underway to prevent further spread of the devastation.

According to Gerald Mikol, the DEC's regional director, "Aggressive actions are being taken to limit the spread of the outbreak and determine its cause to ensure the health of western New York's critical water bird population."

Type E is a specific strain of avian botulism most commonly affecting fish-eating birds. It is a paralytic, often fatal, disease that results when the birds ingest toxin produced by the botulism bacterium. The majority of the birds affected so far by the outbreak are fish eaters or scavengers of other birds that died of botulism E. It can be toxic to humans and pets if they consume or handle fish or animal flesh contaminated by the toxin.

There have been no reports of human illness associated with the outbreak. The public is advised not to handle sick birds or allow pets to have contact with sick or dead birds. Reports of suspect birds should be reported to the DEC for proper collection, examination and disposal. Region 8 offices of the DEC are in Avon, 716-226-2466. www.dec.state.ny.us.

Botulism outbreaks among waterfowl are typically a warm weather occurrence, happening most frequently during the summer and fall months. An earlier outbreak was discovered by Canadian wildlife pathology experts in September. Recent cold weather conditions normally would be expected to limit outbreaks.