VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

TRICHOMONIASIS

Trichomoniasis

• Trichomoniasis is a common disease affecting pigeons and occasionally canaries, finches and other small passerines.
• Large psittaciforms appear resistant to the infection. Budgerigars, however, may contract the diseases in epidemic proportions.
• Trichomonas gallinae is the most common organisms causing the disease.
• Adult bird previously infected may be carriers of the disease.
• Direct contact via crop milk is a common mode of transmission among pigeon.
• The protozoa do not survive long outside of the host and therefore strict sanitation reduces disease incidence.

Clinical signs

• The disease usually affects young birds, causing high mortality.
• Two types of lesions may be found, diphtheritic (wet canker) and necrotic (dry caseous necrosis).
• In adult birds, the disease is usually chronic, causing few mortalities. Weight loss and weakness may be seen in these birds.
• With wet canker ulcerations in the mouth, esophagus, larynx and pharynx.
• Bacterial invasion of the lesion acerbates the disease and may produce lesions in the skin muscles or central nervous system.
• Young birds are most often affected. Clinical symptoms of disease usually do not appear until after 4 weeks of age.
• Less often, similar lesions are seen around the vent and ventral aspects of the squabs, with gross fecal contamination of the plumage.
• When esophageal lesions are severe, laboured breathing and respiratory rales may be present.
• In the necrotic form of the disease, yellow caseous nodules are seen in the respiratory and digestive tract.

Treatment

• Dimetridazole at the rate of 2g/liter in drinking water for 7 days can be given.
• When the digestive tract is blocked by cankerous lesions, the birds must be treated by using 5 mg metronidazole/100 body weight suspended in a glucose solution and tube fed for 7 days.