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Background: Efforts to control and eliminate schistosomiasis have accelerated over the past decade. As parasite burden, associated morbidity and egg excretion decrease, diagnosis with standard parasitological methods becomes harder. We assessed the robustness and performance of a real-time PCR (qPCR) approach in comparison with urine filtration microscopy and reagent strip testing for the diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium infections of different intensities. Methods: The robustness of DNA isolation and qPCR was validated in eight laboratories from Europe and Africa. Subsequently, 792 urine samples collected during cross-sectional surveys of the Zanzibar Elimination of Schistosomiasis Transmission (ZEST) project in 2012-2017 were examined with qPCR in 2018. Diagnostic sensitivity of the qPCR was calculated at different infection intensity categories, using urine filtration microscopy as reference test. Spearman's rank correlation between Ct-values and S. haematobium egg counts was assessed and Ct-value percentiles for infection intensity categories determined. Results: S. haematobium Dra1 DNA-positive samples were identified correctly in all eight laboratories. Examination of urine samples from Zanzibar revealed Dra1 DNA in 26.8% (212/792) by qPCR, S. haematobium eggs in 13.3% (105/792) by urine filtration, and microhaematuria in 13.8% (109/792) by reagent strips. Sensitivity of the qPCR increased with augmenting egg counts: 80.6% (29/36) for counts between 1 and 4 eggs, 83.3% (15/18) for counts between 5 and 9 eggs, 100% (23/23) for counts between 10 and 49 eggs, and 96.4% (27/28) for counts of 50+ eggs. There was a significant negative correlation between Ct-values and egg counts (Spearman's rho = − 0.49, P < 0.001). Seventy-five percent of the Ct-values were ≥ 33 in the egg-negative category, < 31 in the light intensity category, and < 24 in the heavy intensity category.

In Hispaniolan Amazon parrots, nalbuphine appeared to have good bioavailability after IM administration and was rapidly cleared after IV and IM administration. Safety and analgesic efficacy of various nalbuphine treatment regimens in this species require further investigation to determine the potential for clinical palliation of signs of pain in psittacine species.

Abstract. A case of proventricular dilatation disease is described in a scarlet macaw (Ara macao) from clinical presentation to diagnosis with molecular methods. The initial clinical signs were depression progressing to head pressing over several days. A leukocytosis with toxic heterophil changes, hypoalbuminemia, and increased serum activity of aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase were present. Lead and zinc assays were within reference ranges, and results from Chlamydophila and polyomavirus testing were negative. Contrast-enhanced fluoroscopy revealed normal gastrointestinal transit times and motility as well as the presence of 2 small metallic foreign bodies in the ventriculus. The macaw was treated with antimicrobials, analgesics, vitamins E and B complex, force-feeding, and fluid administration with little improvement. Euthanasia was elected, and histologic examination of brain tissue revealed a perivascular lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, while the lungs had evidence of a fungal pneumonia. Tissue samples from the brain and proventriculus tested positive for the presence of Avian bornavirus genotype 2, while serology confirmed Avian bornavirus infection.Key words: Ara macao; Avian bornavirus; macaws; proventricular dilatation disease.Neuropathic gastric dilation or proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) has been variably described in the veterinary literature, and was initially referred to as macaw wasting syndrome in the early 1970s. 9 The terms ''neuropathic gastric dilatation'' and ''encephalomyelitis'' are in reference to the most commonly observed clinical and pathologic features of PDD. Historically, affected birds present with varying degrees of gastrointestinal signs, including anorexia, regurgitation, or presence of undigested seeds in feces, with or without neurologic signs (e.g., ataxia or obtundation). Frequently, the clinical signs are nonspecific and reflect disturbance in a number of different organs. 17,20,22 Although PDD appears to have a predilection for psittacines, it has been presumptively identified in toucans, Canada geese, and spoonbills.7 A viral etiology for the disease has been suspected for many years because of the epidemiologic evidence and the characteristic histopathologic changes observed in tissues of affected birds, but no specific virus was identified until the recent discovery of avian bornaviruses. 8,11,12 The present report describes a case of Avian bornavirus (ABV) in a scarlet macaw (Ara macao) exhibiting vague neurologic signs from initial presentation to identification and classification of the virus genotype.A 1.5-year-old male scarlet macaw weighing 0.95 kg was referred to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (UW-VMTH; Madison, Wisconsin) with a 2-week history of depression and loss of appetite. The bird was housed part of the time in a pet store, which sold and boarded birds of many different species. The bird had been acquired by the pet store owner 1 year earlier from a breeder and had been apparently healthy during this ...