Important Avian Diseases

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Important Avian Diseases

• CVM 6882

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Overview of Important Avian Diseases
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Additional Important Diseases

• Liver Disease
• Paramyxoviruses (Newcastle)
• Adenoviruses
• Serratospiculosis (Mid-east Falcons)
• Salmonella
• Pasteurella

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Aspergillosis
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Chlamydia

• Agent Chlamydia psittaci
• Other C. trachomatis, C. pneumoniae (TWAR)
• Character Intracellular parasite
• Infective form Elementary Body (EB)
• Reproductive Reticulate Body (RB)
• Infection Aerosal, water
• Incubation Days to years
• Zoonotic

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Clinical Appearance Classical Psittacosis

• Respiratory Involvement airsacculitis
• Leukocytosis, heterophilia, monocytosis
• Anemia
• AST elevation, TP, bile acids
• Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly\
• Fibrinopericardititis

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Avian Species Most Affected

• Budgerigars
• Cockatiels
• Amazons
• Macaws (most severely affected)
• Love birds (endemic)
• Pigeons
• Not Cockatoos

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Psittacosis Treatment

• Chlortetracycline Impregnated Pellets -- 45 day
  treatment required
• Oral Doxycycline
• Injectable Doxycycline (1/w)
• Fluoroquinolones

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Diagnostic Dilemmas

• Life Cycle of Organism
• Stage of disease when sample is taken -- largely
  unknown
• Latency -- may last for years -- no footprints
• Variability in virulence
• Sensitivity and Specificity of available tests

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Diagnostic Tests 2 types

• Antigen Capture
• Antibody Detection

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Antigen Detection

• Kodak Surecell used on feces, limited supplies
• Clearview -- lacks specificity, many false
  positives
• PCR increased usage (cont. Research)
• Growth in Tissue Culture -- gold standard,
  cultured from tissue or feces
• Special stains-- Gieminez

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Antibody Tests

• Non-available for in-house testing
• Grimes Latex Agglutination (he died)
• Modified CF Tests -- variable
• Numerous Indirect ELISAS
• BELISA direct ELISA -- many false positives

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Control in Breeding OperationsE.G. Commercial
Cockatiels

• Testing - PCR or culture ( 10 - 20 pairs at end
  of breeding cycle or birds showing clinical
  signs)
• Frequency Year 1- every 3 months
  Year 2 - every
  6 months Annually thereafter unless
  positive result Commence with year 1 after
  positive result
• Positive case - quarantine, treat, retest 4
  weeks post treatment
• Cull and treat
• Test and quarantine any incoming birds

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Avian Tuberculosis

• Agents M. avium, M. genovense
• World-wide distribution
• Chronic ganulamatous disease
• Agent is an Acid-Fast Organism
• Diagnosis is made by cytological examination of
  affected organs

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TB Clinical Appearances

• Chronic Emaciation Liver involvement
• Subcutaneous Granulomas
• Diarrhea Intestinal Lesions
• Dyspnea Pulmonary Consolidation
• Paralysis Osseous Tubercles

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Treatment and Control

• Quarantine
• Isolation
• Depopulation
• Antibiotics not recommended
• Isoniazid
• Ethambutol

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Trichomoniasis

• Agents T. gallinae, gallinarum
• Vesogenic, mesogenic, lentogenic strains
• Introduced from Europe
• Commensal in Columbiformes
• Target oral and pharyngeal mucosa, occasionally
  respiratory system

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Trichomoniasis Continued

• Appearance raised yellow-tan plaques embedded
  in mucosa, obliterating the choanal slite, palate
  or base of tongue
• Transmission ingestion of live flagellates
• Clinical signs difficult prehension, swallowing
  leading to debilitation

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Trich Diffs and Treatment

• Differentials Abscesses, foreign materials,
  Capillaria spp., Candida
• Treatment
• Metronidazole 30 - 50 mg/kg
• Carnidazole 10 - 100 mg/kg

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Herpes Virus Infections

• Mareks disease - lymphoproliferative, neural
  disease
• Duck plague - enteritis
• ILT - chickens
• Pachecos disease - hepatitis
• Inclusion body hepatitis - raptors, cranes, and
  storks

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Herpes of Falcons

• Falconid HV-1 closely related to Columbid HV-1,
  the latter being the source for the former
• Clinical
• Lymphopenia
• Acute Death
• Signs of liver disease

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Pachecos Disease

• Psittacid HV-1,2,3
• South American Origin
• Cockatoos and Amazons die peracutely
• Macaws die acutely
• Conures (Nanday and Patagonian) incriminated as
  carriers, but ...

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Management of Herpes Virus

• No effective individual treatment although
  acyclovir will reduce death rate in an aviary
• No vaccines available
• Hygiene and Sanitation
• Gyrfalcons and pigeons dont mix

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Pox Viruses

• DNA Virus -- many strains
• Falcon Pox
• Pigeon Pox
• Fowl Pox
• Peacock Pox
• Canary Pox (most pathogenic)
• High degree of host specificity

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Clinical Aspects

• Transmitted by biting insects - virus can live in
  salivary gland for several weeks
• Disease Forms
• Epithelial Crusts
• Diphtheroid - Wet pox
• Septicemic form -- Canary Pox

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Treatment of Pox

• Debride or cauterize lesions
• Control secondary bacterial infections
• Selective Vaccination
• Canary
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Others -- see Ritchie, Harrison, Harrison

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Macaw Wasting Disease

• Proventricular Dilatation Syndrome
• Viral Etiology confirmed
• Neurotropic
• Myenteric Plexus of Mid g.I. Tract
• Crop
• Other neural tissue

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Macaw Wasting

• Species all psittacines, contagious
• Signs may not appear for several months after
  exposure
• Signs slowing g.I. Tract, undigested seeds in
  stool, cachexia,, dehydration, death
• No treatment, no vaccination
• Aviaries depopulate

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Paramyxoviruses Newcastle (VVND)

• Newcastle PMV-1
• PMV2-9 PMV-3 causes mild neurologic signs in
  pigeons Clinical
• Signs
• Diarrhea, respiratory signs followed by
  neurologic signs (torticollis)

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Budgerigar Fledgling DiseasePolyoma Virus

• Highly infectious, stable
• Causes
• Budgerigar Fledgling Disease peracute death with
  near 100 mortality in birds lt 15d
• French Molt feather dystrophy syndrome
• Polyserositis in other psittacines with bleeding
  syndromes

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Other BFD (Polyoma)
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Other Polyoma
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Polyoma (cont)

• Diagnosis
• Feather lesions indistinguishable from BFD
• Antemortem Cloacal swab and culture
• Postmortem DNA probes
• Control
• Isolation of shedders away from neonates
• Control feather dust and other hygiene
• Vaccinate -- killed vaccine available

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Beak and Feather Disease

• Circovirus Disease
• Septicemia and peracute death in nestlings
• Beak Necrosis,Feather Dystrophies, worsening with
  each successive molt
• Endemic in wild cockatoos (Australia)
• Also will infect New World Parrots

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Beak and Feather
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Beak and Feather (cont)

• Diagnosis Signs, biopsy, DNA Probes
• No treatment, no vaccination
• No spontaneous recovery affected birds die from
  secondary problems

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Liver Disease Causes

• Infectious
• G- Bacteria
• Chlamydia
• Mycobacteria
• Viruses
• Herpes
• Adeno
• Polyoma
• Reovirus
• Trematodes (esp. cockatoos)

• Non-Infectious
• Aflatoxicosis
• Fatty Liver
• Iron Storage Disease
• Neoplasia
• Protozoal
• Toxoplasma
• Trichomonas
• Histomonas

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Liver Disease Signs

• Physical and chemical
• Elevated AST, CK, Bile Acids
• G. I. Stasis
• Feather abnormalities
• Chronically overgrown beak and claws
• Hepatic Encephalopathy

• Clinical
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Ascites
• Biliverdinuria
• Melena
• Coagulopathy

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Liver Disease Signs
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Liver Disease Treatment

• Fluids
• Hyperalimentation
• Lactulose
• Antibiotics
• Doxycycline
• Enrofloxacine
• Metronidazole or Clindamycin
• Other Specific Chemotherapy as indicated