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Table 4 Summary of clinical data associated with main pet bird zoonotic diseases [[41]]

From: Zoonoses in pet birds: review and perspectives

Disease

Sensitive species

Clinical signs

Necroptic lesions

Diagnostic (sample/analysis)

Remarks and Pitfalls

Treatment

Human symptoms

Blood-sucking mites

All

Nestlings: weakness, anemia, death Adults: AA, respiratory distress, depression

None

Direct examination

Dermanyssus gallinae: hide in cages anfractuosities and could not be found on birds themselves

Ivermectine, permethrins in spray. Total disinfection of cages and facilities (see also chapter 4)

Dermatitis, pruritus

Chlamydo-philosis

Psittacines – canaries – finches

AA, SBS, diarrhea, nasal discharge, dehydration, Ocular signs

Air sac lesions, hepato-splenomegaly

CSw, OSw, FE/BC, serology (paired serology 2 weeks apart),IMF, PCR

Asymptomatic carriage (up to 40%), false negative

Tetracyclins (1st of 2d generation)

Flu-like syndrome, genital, articular, skin symptoms

Salmonellosis

All (open-air aviaries)

AA, WL, diarrhea, mild respiratory symptoms

Congestive gastro-intestinal tract, hepato-splenomegaly

CSw, FE

Mostly in winter and in outdoor aviaries; hard to differentiate from pseudo-tuberculosis

Not recommended (high probability of antibio-resistance)

Gastro-intestinal infection

Tuberculosis

Psittacines (canaries?)

Progressive AA, WL, respiratory symptoms, long bone lesions

Cachexia, osteolysis spots in long bones, lung lesions (non caseous)

RX (bone lesions), OSw/MO (Ziehl-Nielsen), BC, HP

Chronic development, sometimes during months to years; human origin infection

Not recommended (high probability of antibio-resistance)

Chronic pulmonary symptoms (caseous lung knots), generalized infection

Campylo-bacteriosis

Estrildidae mostly.

Apathy, yellow feces (solid or liquid)

Cachexia, congestive gastro-intestinal tract, containing a yellow amylum or undigested seeds.

FE/MO (curved rods in stained smears), BC

Canaries and psittacines are asymptomatic carriers

Not recommended (high probability of antibio-resistance)

Gastro-intestinal infection, Gillain-Barré syndrome

Avian Influenza

Passerines

Sudden death, SBS, respiratory and neurological signs

Dehydration, respiratory lesions

OSw, CSw, BS/HP, PCR

Mostly in outdoor aviaries

None

Mild to severe respiratory and systemic infection

West Nile fever

All

Ocular and neurological signs

 

OSw, CSw/PCR

Mostly asymptomatic carriage

None: prevention based on limitation of exposure to mosquitoes (vectors)

Mild to severe respiratory and systemic infection, encephalitis, septicaemia, death

Newcastle disease

All

SBS, AA, ocular, respiratory and neurological signs

Dehydration, respiratory lesions

OSw, CSw/serology

 

None; prevention by vaccination

Cunjunctivitis, mild flu-like symptoms

Toxoplasmosis

Canary, finch, budgerigar minah

SBS, AA, respiratory and neurological signs, blindness

iridocyclitis, panophthalmia, catarrhal pneumonia, hepato-splenomegaly

CSw/MO, serology, HP, PCR

Systemic symptoms sometimes unseen; detection of the disease 3 months later (blindness)

Trimetoprim-sulfamids

Mostly asymptomatic. Abortion, congenital malformation.

Giardiosis (G. duodenalis)

 

None

None

   

Sometimes asymptomatic. WL, diarrhoea, abdominal pain

Crypto-sporidiosis

All

Rare; acute diarrhoea

Gastro-enteric lesions

CsW/MO

 

Ronidazole

Gastro-intestinal symptoms; liver, pancreas, respiratory tract lesions

Cryptococcosis

Parrots, little pet birds

Rare

None

CSw/MO

Possible aerosol-borne contamination

 

Mostly asymptomatic. Respiratory and nervous symptoms.

  1. AA apathy-Anorexia, WL weight loss, FE feces examination, BC bacterial culture, MO microscopic observation, SBS sick bird signs (ruffled feathers, standing at the bottom of the cage, depression), HP histopathology (including immunocytochemistry), BS blood sample, CSw cloacal swab, OSw oral swab, IMF Immunofluorescence, PCR polymerase chain reaction.