(Newer)
– For the past 25 years, a mysterious condition has killed bald eagles and left them with holes in their brains. Researchers identified vacuolar myelinopathy (VM), a deadly condition that causes paralysis, blindness, and seizures in bald eagles and their prey, including fish, turtles, snakes, and smaller birds – and now they think they know what’s causing it, per Live Science. The first suspicions arose Hydrilla verticillata, a highly invasive plant native to Central Africa and common in aquariums, which has taken over lakes in several states. Since only some of those lakes were linked to VM, later research identified a type of cyanobacteria found on certain species Hydrilla plants. In a laboratory setting, the cultures of cyanobacteria were unable to produce any toxins. However, that changed when researchers added bromide to the mix, per release.
The bacteria produced a toxin called aetokthonotoxin, or “poison that kills the eagle.” Bromide occurs naturally in small amounts in lakes, but is also introduced through chemical runoff and herbicides, which are ‘ironically used to prevent the spread of Hydrilla, “Live Science said. Further research showed that the plant” has the ability to enrich bromide from the environment, making it even more available to the cyanobacteria, “said Wired“It was only this discovery that made us aware that VM is also spreading through [human] influence, ‘says Steffen Breinlinger, who worked with an international team of researchers on a study in ScienceHe notes that VM may never be eradicated in US lakes, but “if we control the bromide in the reservoirs … eventually [the cyanobacteria] will be stripped of his weapon. ” Wired notes that the effect on people who eat infected animals is not yet clear. (Read much better news for Bald eagles.)