Birds with this disease display bornaviral antigen in neural and extraneural tissues.

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Six cases of mycobacteriosis due to Mycobacterium genavense in three budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), one orange-winged amazon (4mazona amazonica), one flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana), and one zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) are discussed. Gross lesions associated with the infection included a high degree of muscular wasting (five cases), hepatomegaly (four cases), and thickening of the wall of the small intestine (four cases). Granulomas were found in the lung (one case) and the subcutis (one case). Acid-fast bacilli were detected in the liver of all six birds. Only the use of acidic BACTEC mediums consistently led to growth, whereas the egg-based medium failed. These findings point to a possible role of the environment as a reservoir for M. genavense. Mycobacteriosis in birds is generally caused by the Mycobacterium avium complex (7, 16, 20) or M. tuberculosis (1, 7, 19, 22). However, the causative species of psittacine mycobacteriosis are usually not identified because of nonspecific postmortem findings (13, 14) or the lack of postmortem nonculturable mycobacteria (10, 11). Here we report six cases of mycobacteriosis due to M. genavense in pet birds. Necropsy. Smears from the liver, the small and large

Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 was isolated from the reproductive tract of 10 (27 per cent) of 37 laying hens from three small flocks with a naturally acquired infection. The rapid slide agglutination test with Salmonella pullorum-antigen was positive in 24 (64.9 per cent) of the 37 hens including the six hens in which the ovary was colonised and the 10 in which the oviduct was colonised. By immunohistochemical labelling S enteritidis was demonstrated in seven of eight culture-positive hens on the surface of and within the epithelial cells in the lumen and in the tuberine glands of the oviduct.

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, mycobacteriosis was diagnosed by histology and microscopy in 204 (3.8%) of 5,345 necropsied pet birds. The predominant macroscopic changes were enlargement of the liver and spleen and thickening of intestinal walls. Attempts to cultivate mycobacteria were made in 110 cases. Acid-fast bacilli grew in 66 specimens (60%) only. In 18 cases we failed to obtain subcultures. Therefore, species identification could be performed for only 48 isolates. Identification was carried out by conventional biochemical tests as well as by PCR-mediated sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The majority of the isolates were Mycobacterium genavense (34 isolates), followed by M. avium complex (8), M. fortuitum (2), M. tuberculosis (2), M. gordonae (1), and M. nonchromogenicum (1). The significance of M. genavense as a zoonotic agent remains to be determined.

Between 1992 and 2003, a period of 12 years after the definitive ban on battery cages in Switzerland, more than 10,000 replacement chicks and laying hens were examined postmortem. There was a significant decrease in the incidence of viral diseases, mostly due to a reduction in Marek's disease, but there was a marked increase in bacterial diseases, particularly since 1999, mainly due to colisepticaemia in young laying hens. There was a steady decrease in parasitic infections, but the incidence of non-infectious diseases varied from year to year, with no clear trends. There were no significant emerging diseases or economic losses in the alternative housing systems. Vaccination and hygiene were the most effective precautions against infections, and control strategies brought about a marked decline in notifiable diseases, especially for Salmonella Enteritidis. Fifteen years after the ban on battery cages in Switzerland, the health and egg production of laying hens is good.

To determine the prevalence of Chlamydophila psittaci in wild birds, cloacal swabs from 527 songbirds, 442 waterfowl, 84 feral pigeons, and 38 cormorants were examined by Chlamydiaceae-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ArrayTube microarray assays for chlamydial species determination and genotyping of C. psittaci. Inconclusive cases were further characterized by conventional PCR methods targeting the chlamydial outer membrane protein A, 16S, 23S, and intergenic spacer genes followed by sequencing of the PCR product. Swabs of 19 water birds (tufted ducks and pochards), 12 pigeons, and one songbird were tested positive by the Chlamydiaceaespecific real-time PCR. While C. psittaci genotypes B (n= 5) and E (n=1) were identified in feral pigeons (n=9), the genotype could not be identified in the remaining three cases. Sequence data of Chlamydiaceae-positive cases (n= 23; 19 waterfowl, three pigeons, one songbird) indicated the presence of nonclassified chlamydial agents (n=20) and C. psittaci (n=3) by 16S rRNA PCR and sequencing. In conclusion, C. psittaci was not detected in waterfowl and songbirds, but C. psittaci proved prevalent in urban feral pigeons, where it poses a significant risk for humans.