Study: Bird-killing disease doesn't spread to some mammals

AUGUSTA - A mysterious disease that has killed at least 25 bald eagles along Thurmond Lake on the Georgia-South Carolina border appears unlikely to affect mammals, according to a study. <br> <br> Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy, a brain-damaging disease that is always fatal, did not affect pigs that were fed birds who had AVM, according to research by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia&#39;s School of Veterinary Medicine. <br> <br> The study was to see whether pigs developed the fatal brain legions, according to the center&#39;s Web site. None did. <br> <br> Researchers said the results are good news for hunters who eat waterfowl harvested in areas known to harbor AVM, but they warn that the experiment only used pigs. <br> <br> ``You could say it&#39;s definitive, but just for pigs,&#39;&#39; said epizootiologist Tonie Rocke at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. ``It means there is still no evidence it affects mammals, but I&#39;d be hesitant to jump to any broad conclusions based on these experiments alone.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Bald eagles have made a major comeback after decades on the endangered species list. But AVM, believed to be caused by an unknown toxin that leads to brain lesions, has killed dozens of eagles, American coots, ducks, geese and killdeer in Arkansas, Georgia and North and South Carolina since it was first discovered in 1996. <br> <br> Before dying, diseased birds fly and swim erratically, sometimes crashing to the ground or flying into cliffs.