Line ID:@dna0910906989
Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease(PBFD Virus)
Caused by the PBFD virus, the symptoms of this disease, as the name suggests, will cause parrots and feather lesions of the parrots. They are highly contagious diseases.
They are often acute or severe, and even die rapidly. The disease was first discovered in the mid-1970s by the south Pacific parrot (south pacific psittacine).
The symptoms were irregular growth and shedding of the feathers, deformation of the guanine, and death from infection caused by reduced immunity. Later,
PBFD viruses were discovered in more than 40 species of parrots, including Cockatoo, African grey parrots, eclectic parrots, lovebirds, budgies, Amazon parrots, macaws and parrots.
Introduction to PBFD virus
It is a non-enveloped icosahedral symmetrical virus, and a circular single-stranded DNA is classified into the Circovirus and the Circoviridae.
Infection mode
PBFD is a highly contagious disease, and the virus can be isolated from the blood of the bird, the plump feces, and the secretion of the sac.
Among them, feather dust is the most important source of distribution, so if there is an infected person in the breeding environment,
it is easy to spread through the feathers. Because young birds have a weak immune system, they are susceptible to infection. Most birds over the age of three have strong immunity.
Therefore, if the bird has good immunity, the virus can be cleared by the immune system in the early stage of invading the bird body without causing disease.
Symptoms of PBFD
Typical initial symptoms are feather shedding, new hair disorder, irregular growth, hair loss, excessive mouth, low immunity, weight loss, anorexia, and the like.
However, clinical symptoms vary depending on the species and age.
Acute and subacute infections are prone to occur in young birds that are moulted at 30 days of age. The symptoms are feather rupture, bleeding, bending deformation,
and premature detachment. Other symptoms include diarrhea, sac stagnation, anorexia, and the like. A bird with symptoms may die within the day or weeks.
More common in the gray parrots and the young birds of Cockatoo.
Chronic infections are more likely to occur in birds less than three years old. The affected birds may have low immunity and cause secondary infection and death.
The lesion on the feather includes the feather sheath not falling off, the feather root bleeding, feather deformation and the like. The down feathers usually fall first,
and then the body feathers such as crown feathers, flying feathers, and tail feathers also begin to fall. Some birds have been bald,
but they can still live for months to years before they die. Chronic infections, in addition to peach Cockatoo, Moluccan Cockatoo and Crested Cockatoo,
guanine lesions will not occur in other species of parrot. The lesion contains an oral ulcer, the bird's ankle is too long or broken, and the tip of the tendon is necrotic.
Mostly accompanied by secondary infections of bacteria or mold.
PBFD is as eroding to humans as AIDS, and the sick bird is eventually lost due to the immune system, followed by other viruses, bacteria, mold and parasitic infections.
Diagnosis method
Immunohistochemistry, Hemagglutination, Hemagglutination inhibition, in situ hybridization, Electron Microscopy, and PCR test are currently available.
Molecular biological PCR assay is the most sensitive and specific diagnostic method. Studies have shown that PBFD virus can be detected in the blood of birds infected for 2 days,
that is, birds are infected. In the incubation period, PBFD virus can be detected by molecular biological PCR test, which is far more sensitive and rapid than other test methods.
Prevention method
At present, there is no vaccine control. An important method to prevent PBFD infection is molecular biological PCR blood screening. The recommended timing for screening is
1. Newly introduced birds
2. Suspected of infection or contact with sick birds
3. Molecular biological PCR detection of PBFD virus is positive, but the feathers are normal, it is recommended to isolate after 4 to 6 weeks, why do you need to do this?
Please refer to the original English text.
Http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/pbfd.html
Key excerpt
Antibody titer surveys in the United States suggest that most birds of susceptible larger species are exposed to the virus at some time in their lives but are able to mount
an effective immune response.
This is considered natural vaccination, just like the baby birds in the nursery that were all exposed to the virus, tested positive and then later introduced negative.
Those birds would likely be immune to the PBFD virus for life.
It can be seen from the investigation of the antibody concentration in the United States that most of the susceptible bird species are exposed to the virus in some parts of their lives,
and can effectively promote the body's immune response.
This is considered to be a natural vaccination, just as the baby chicks are exposed to the virus in the nursery, the PBFD virus test is positive,
and then the PBFD virus test is negative for a while, these birds may have a lifetime of PBFD virus. Immunity.
4. Because the PBFD virus can survive in the body for several months, it has been infected, seemingly recovered birds, it is recommended to isolate and do the inspection.
In addition, helping birds build strong immunity is also a way to protect birds from viruses.
Treatment
There is currently no effective treatment and only supportive treatment for infected birds.
Type of specimen (use of blood specimens is better, because the blood can be found earlier, the virus will move to the feathers as the blood transports nutrients,
and the virus can be detected in the blood after a few days of infection)
1. Feather specimen: Take 3-5 feathers from the chest, abdomen or back of the bird and put them in a plastic bag.
[Feathers must be taken from the birds, non-birds naturally falling feathers or falling off the baby's hair]
2. Blood sample: Use 75% alcohol to disinfect the scissors and the nails you want to sample. After the nails are disinfected, use the disinfected scissors and slowly cut them.
Until you can see the blood, you can take 1-2 drops of blood with white paper. After the blood is naturally dry, put it in a plastic bag.
[The paper needs to be larger than 1*1 cm, and it is better to choose paper or water-absorbing paper that is not easy to break.]
※ Please refer to the sampling process for detailed
inspection methods.
If you have any other questions about our services, please contact us with e-mail(E-Mail:parrotsexing886@gmail.com, E-Mail:parrotsexing@hotmail.com).
