Wild birds of declining European species are dying from a thiamine deficiency
syndrome
1. Lennart Balk a , 1 ,
2. Per-Åke Hägerroth a ,
3. Gun Åkerman a ,
4. Marsha Hanson a ,
5. Ulla Tjärnlund a ,
6. Tomas Hansson a ,
7. Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson b , c ,
8. Yngve Zebühr a ,
9. Dag Broman a ,
10. Torsten Mörner d and
11. Henrik Sundberg a
+ Author Affiliations
1. a Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University,
SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
2. b Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, IS-101 Reykjavík,
Iceland;
3. c Reykjanes Environmental Research Institute, IS-245 Sandgerði, Iceland;
and
4. d Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environment, National Veterinary
Institute, SE-751 89 Uppsala, Sweden
1.
Edited by John E. Halver, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and approved
May 29, 2009 (received for review March 22, 2009)
Abstract
Wild birds of several species are dying in large numbers from an idiopathic
paralytic disease in the Baltic Sea area. Here, we demonstrate strong
relationships between this disease, breeding failure, and thiamine (vitamin B 1
) deficiency in eggs, pulli, and full-grown individuals. Thiamine is essential
for vertebrates, and its diphosphorylated form functions as a cofactor for
several life sustaining enzymes, whereas the triphosphorylated form is
necessary for the functioning of neuronal membranes. Paralyzed individuals were
remedied by thiamine treatment. Moreover, thiamine deficiency and detrimental
effects on thiamine-dependent enzymes were demonstrated in the yolk, liver, and
brain. We propose that the mortality and breeding failure are part of a
thiamine deficiency syndrome, which may have contributed significantly to
declines in many bird populations during the last decades.
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