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

CHLAMYDIOSIS [Web link.....]

• Chlamydiosis is formerly termed “psittacosis” in psittacines birds and humans and “ornithosis” in nonpsittacine birds, is the term commonly used to describe generalized infection in mammals and birds caused by Chlamydia pittaci.
• The most commonly affected cage and aviary birds are the psittacines (parrots, parakeets, budgerigars, macaws, cockatoos, cockatiels, lories, lorikeets, lovebirds) as well as all types of pigeons and doves.
• Occasional clinical disease occurs in pheasants, partridges, ducks, hummingbirds, magpies, thrushes, finches, canaries and cardinals.
• Transmission: occurs by inhalation or ingestion of chlamydiae contained in the feces, nasal secretions or lacrimal secretions of infected birds.
• Most transmission probably occurs in the nest, by direct transfer of infected crop milk to the young nestling.
• Chlamydiae can remain infective for several months in dried feces, and contamination of eggshells by feces in nestling birds is a source of nestling infection.
• In Addison vertical transmission in known to occur in psittacines, sucks, and chickens.
• Mechanical transfer by nest mites and lice has been reported in poultry.
• In the absence of stress infection remain either latent or associated with only mild transient signs.
• Predisposing factors: stress caused by low plan of nutrition, change of diet, temperature fluctuation, overcrowding, prolonged transportation, excessive handling, nesting. Young birds are more susceptible.