Cockatiel Disease

Q: I am a veterinary technician in Hawaii, and the available diagnostics for avian medicine are not what we were used to on the mainland. An aviary of cockatiels is dying of sudden respiratory distress. They are housed in outdoor flights and have a relatively good diet consisting of seeds, pellets, fruits, vegetables and clean water.
We have seen some white blood cell counts and they are relatively unremarkable except for a shift in the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. We have done some Chlamydia testing through the state lab and results are all negative so far. Necropsies have revealed nothing that the state lab or our doctor can put their finger on. Any ideas about where to go next or what to do?
 

A: I love challenges, and it sounds like we have one here. I want a blood smear if you can send me one, and one should go to a good avian pathology lab like University of Georgia. There must be many blood-borne parasites there, such as Leucocytozooan and Hemoproteus. These require an insect vector, such as a mosquito, and I am sure you have plenty of those.

I also wonder about Sarcocytosis, a protozoal parasite that infects the lungs and muscle and can cause sudden death. Here, the disease is seen mostly in the southern states, although I have diagnosed it as far north as middle Indiana. It can be hard to see on histopath slides, and I have often had to seek two or three pathologists' opinions to get a correct answer. Sarcocystosis has a complicated life cycle involving a mammal, such as an opossum, an insect vector, such as a cockroach and often another host, such as a blackbird or grackle, as a reservoir host. I am not sure what fulfills the part of the opossum there, but I wonder if the mongoose plays a similar role.

Do an in-depth history with the owner, and find out what creatures frequent the outdoor aviary and surroundings. Are the birds on dirt, or is there a wire floor? Have you done fecal floats? You may find parasites causing hypoproteinemia. When protein gets low enough, there could be pulmonary edema or pleural effusion (fluid on the lungs).

With the next carcass presented, do a detailed necropsy and formalin fix on all tissues, and freeze a second battery of samples. If the histopath is not answering the questions, viral isolation can be attempted.

Chlamydia psittaci in birds

Overnight avian chlamydiosis Infection?

Q: I recently purchased a pair of sun conures, delivered by the breeder to my home. The hen had an abrasion on her left leg, which has a band on it. The seller stated that this injury occurred during their drive to our home. I took the bird to our veterinarian the next day and had her checked out. It turns out the bird has a 36,000 white blood cell count and is anemic with a red blood cell of 32 percent. Could this injury have caused this elevation of white blood cells in such a short period of time? And could the anemia have been caused by the same injury?

A: It is very doubtful, in my opinion, that the leg abrasion could have become infected and mounted the type of immune response you describe in just a 24-hour period. This process is usually longer in nature and is associated with a chronic (long-standing) infectious disease. The fact that the bird also has anemia speaks to the probability that this was a long-standing disease process.
You have not listed the differential white blood cell count, so I cannot make further statements about the nature of the infection. Also, Gram's stain and cytology results would help with a diagnosis.
Bacterial and Chlamydial disease are the most common causes of this type of blood picture. Klebsiella bacterial infection often elevates the white count to these ranges and is commonly a cause of anemia.
Chlamydia psittaci is the cause of psittacosis and is very common in our captive-bred psittacines. Chlamydia may well be the problem in this case and should be treated appropriately with doxycycline, once you have the definitive diagnosis. I use the three-part Chlamydia test from the University of Georgia, which tests for 1) antibody, 2) Chlamydial DNA in white blood cells and 3) Chlamydial DNA being shed in fecal samples.
Chlamydia can cause infection in many organs. Liver infection is common, and liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) can often be seen on radiographs. Spleen enlargement is also a classic sign of chlamydiosis and can be appreciated on radiographs as well. Liver enzymes are often elevated on biochemical blood tests.
I hope your pair does well and you find a simple solution to the problem. It sounds like some more good veterinary work is required.

Pet Bird Sitters in Florida

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