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Scientists have yet to discover how the eagles are contracting it.
Avian vacuolar myelinopathy, or VM, causes lesions in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord of affected birds, according to the Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Interagency Web site. As a result, the afflicted birds may have trouble flying, walking or swimming. The disease also is starting to appear in other birds, including coots and other waterfowl. Researchers are conducting autopsies of the dead eagles to search for clues. That kind of leaves us with the possibility of some type of compound, either natural or manmade, that's in the environment that might be causing the problem.