Suspected cases of puffinosis in Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) admitted to wildlife rescue centres in France in 2017 and 2018 late summers

Abstract

In the late summers of 2017 and 2018, five moribund Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) collected from the French Atlantic coast were admitted to local wildlife rehabilitation centres. All birds were in poor body condition and had foot web lesions (blisters or necrosis). They died or were euthanised within 3 weeks of capture. Apart from dry necrosis of the foot webs and/or foot web loss areas, no other significant gross lesions were observed at the post‐mortem examination. Histopathological analyses performed on dry foot web lesions revealed epidermal necrosis and cocci invasion. Because of the history of the event, the observed clinical signs and the results of the post‐mortem investigations, the disease “puffinosis” was strongly suspected. While this disease is well known to affect Manx shearwaters from Welsh breeding colonies, it was the first time such cases were reported in France.

Case Report of Puffinosis in a Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) Suggesting Environmental Aetiology

“…Out of the six monitored shearwater colonies in the United Kingdom (three in Wales, two in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland), puffinosis has only been recorded on Skomer and Skokholm, Wales, and the Copeland Islands, Northern Ireland [ 9 , 11 , 15 , 16 ]. Despite this, there is evidence that shearwaters move between colonies [ 17 ] and cases of puffinosis have also recently been reported in France [ 18 ]. The incidence of puffinosis on Skomer and Skokholm varies with geographical location, appearing predominantly in birds within nest burrows in dense vegetation, generally bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ), but very seldom in birds within nest burrows in open, short maritime grasslands (author O.P.…”

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“…A pufinose é uma doença de etiologia desconhecida pouco entendida relatada inicialmente e principalmente em Puffinus puffinus (BOTMAN; GOURLAY, 2021;BROOKE, 2010;ESMONDE et al, 2020;TERIO et al, 2018). No entanto, já foi descrita em espécies como Fulmarus glacialis (MACDONALD et al, 1967),…”