This male eider duck, part of a large die-off on Massachusetts beaches, was likely infected with a parasitic worm. WHOI researcher Andrea Bogomolni had previously found the same phyla of worm in harbor and harp seals. Seeing parallel disease organisms in different species led to an unprecedented study involving several organizations and initiated by WHOI biologists Michael Moore, Rebecca Gast, and Bogomolni to survey 370 marine animals for zoonotic diseases, whiich means they can be transferred between animals and people. (Courtesy of Michael Moore, WHOI)[back]
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