Viral and related Diseases
Viruses are everywhere. Many viruses are extremely stable in the environment and do not need a living host to survive. For this reason, they can persist for many months in your home or aviary, just waiting for a new victim. Total disinfection of the home or aviary is necessary should any of these viruses be detected in your lovebird. Virus particles can be carried on your clothing, hair, and under your fingernails. If you come into contact with an infected lovebird at a bird show or store, you can take the virus home to your pet. Read thoroughly the section about prevention later in this chapter so that you can avoid inadvertently infecting your lovebird.

Not all species are equally susceptible to every virus. A species must have a receptor on its cells to which the virus can attach. this means the opposite is true as well: you must protect certain species more diligently against certain viruses. Another issue or grave concern is the ability for certain birds to serve as asymptomatic carries of a disease. A seemingly healthy, uninfected lovebird can spread the disease through an aviary, the owner never suspecting who the actual source is.

Some lovebirds will be exposed to a virus and be able to mount a sufficient immune response to destroy it. These lovebirds can either become immune and no longer pose a threat to other lovebirds or they can become silent carries, putting other lovebirds at risk of infection.

To diagnose infection, a veterinarian will perform specific tests. Some tests are more accurate than others. In the case of certain diseases, the veterinarian will recommend and retesting at a later date. Follow your veterinarian's instructions closely to give your lovebird the best chance of survival.

In the case of some viruses, the lovebird will rapidly deteriorate and die. Unfortunately, in this cases, diagnosis is made during the postmortem exam. Whenever a lovebird dies unexpectedly and suddenly, you must have a necropsy performed by an avian veterinarian. The veterinarian will send samples to the lab for pathological examination. You want to rule out an infectious disease that could still send samples to the lab for pathological examination. You want to rule out an infectious disease that could still be present in the home environment. If such a disease is present, you must thoroughly disinfect your home before even considering the purchase of another lovebird.

Young lovebirds tend to be the most susceptible to these diseases. This is because their immune system has not fully developed. However, some viruses can take years to kill a lovebird, causing slow destruction of the infected cells and organs.

Often the first indications of an underlying viral disease are recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. For example, stubborn infestation by mites in budgerigars is often a secondary sign of an underlying immunodeficiency or disease. A virus undermines a lovebird's immune system, making it vulnerable to secondary bacterial and fungal infections, particularly opportunistic pathogens. A human parallel to this is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Patients do not succumb to HIV; they succumb to secondary infections because their bodies can no longer mount a sufficient immune response to bacteria, fungi, and viruses. A healthy immune system enables people and lovebirds to fight off many infectious agents.

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD).
The mere mention of this viral disease strikes fear into the hearts of breeders and pet bird owners. It is a circovirus, and Old World parrots (Africa, Autralasia) are most susceptible. Fatality can occurs in a few months or a year, or a lovebird can be chronically infected for more than a decade. The proper adherence to rules of quarantine and protection of your lovebirds from exposure will dramatically reduce your risk of bringing this devastating disease home (see the following section about prevention).

PBFD is thought to be endemic in wild cockatoos in Australia. Lovebirds along with cockatoos, African grey parrots, and eclectus parrots are the most vulnerable to this virus. Young lovebirds are the most susceptible to infection. The most obvious signs of PBFD are feather deformities. Feathers may appear twisted, broken, bent, or otherwise deformed. In neonates, death can occur rapidly; progression of the disease causes diarrhea, lethargy, and sudden weight loss. Death can be so rapid in these young lovebirds that you may never see the signs of feather deformity.

In chronically infected lovebirds, signs often become most obvious during molts. New feathers will not lose their sheaths or may break off. Some feathers may appear curled in upon themselves or not fully developed. Changes to the beak are also sometimes evident.

PBFD spreads fast and efficiently. The viral particles that cause this disease are very stable in the environment. A person can go to a bird show where infected feather dust settles onto their clothing. They then go home and handle their lovebird without first showering and changing clothes, possibly infecting their lovebird.

This virus can also penetrate the egg's shell or can be passed from parents to the chick. It can be spread by dried, airbone fecal matter and by feather dust particles.

A DNA probe analysis can be done to test for the virus in a lovebird's blood. The lovebird should be retested in 90 days per your veterinarian's instructions. Some lovebirds will test negative at the second test, which may indicate the lovebird has successfully destroyed the virus. A test can also be done on fecal matter and feathers found in the home or aviary to determine if it is still present in the environment, presenting a risk to other lovebirds should they be introduced to the home.

Any lovebird testing positive for PBFD should be immediately isolated from all other lovebirds. The area where the lovebird was housed must be thoroughly disinfected. Any lovebirds exposed to this bird or housed in the same general air space, even if they were housed outdoors, must be tested for the virus. Never expose other people's birds to your PBFD-positive bird. Remember that you essentially carry your lovebird with you wherever you go if you handle your infected lovebird then go to a pet store and handle their lovebirds.

Some chronically infected lovebirds can live a relatively normal life, but they must be protected from secondary infection through meticulous disinfection of their living space and food and water bowls. They should be in as stress-free an environment as possible and be fed a well-balanced, healthy diet.

Polyoma virus
Neonatal and young lovebirds are vulnerable to infection with the polyoma virus. For this reason, lovebirds under a year of age should be vigorously protected from exposure. Your avian veterinarian can test for polyoma virus. He or she may recommended a polyoma virus vaccination. This is one of the few vaccinations widely available for parrots. Although the vaccination has been surrounded with some controversy, if you breed lovebirds and therefore will have young lovebirds around, you may want to consider vaccinating your young. This is especially true if you do not have a closed aviary and plan to add new lovebirds to our flock. Discuss the pros and cons with your trusted veterinarian.

Progression of polyoma virus infection in neonates can be rapid. Sometimes the first indication that virus is present in an aviary is when a breeder has multiple sudden deaths of newborn lovebirds. One of the indications of this disease in neonates is a darkening of abdomen, which is due to internal bleeding that can be seen trough their thin skin. Some young lovebirds will fight the virus only to succumb during the stress of weaning. Signs include diarrhea, weight loss, incessant crying as if hungry, and the inability to maintain a normal body temperature. Any aviary that sees these signs should immediately stop breeding their lovebirds until the situation can be properly handled. No lovebirds should be brought into the home. No known cure exists for polyoma.

Polyoma is a very stable virus and can survive many attempts to eliminate it through the use of disinfectants. Be sure to follow the suggestions later on in this chapter to make sure you properly disinfect a home or aviary in which this virus has been detected.

Pacheco's disease.
Pacheco's is a herpesvirus. All psittacines are susceptible to this virus, but Old World parrots do seem to be more resistant. Conures can be carries of Pacheco's. Infected susceptible birds can die suddenly or develop anorexia, diarrhea, and tremors.

Proventricular Dilatation Disorder (PDD)
Another heartbreaking viral disease, it is often called macaw wasting disease. It has been seen in many other psittacine species as well. It is a chronic disease with an extended incubation period. Signs can be lethargy, going light or anorexia, regurgitation, and undigested seeds seen in fecal matter. No cure exists as of this writing.

Bacterial Disease
A variety of bacterial organisms can make your lovebird sick. These can be spread by other lovebirds or they can be spread by other lovebirds or they can colonize in cages or aviaries where fecal matter and rotting food stuffs are allow to sit.

Psittacosis
During the 1940's, a large number of budgerigars were imported to the United States for one holiday season. They were growing in popularity, and the demand exceeded the supply in the country. Very soon after this large importation, an outbreak of psittacosis occurred in humans. For a while, this resulted in bandinglaws for budgerigars. These bands allowed health departments to investigate possible outbreaks of the disease better. Most states no longer have such laws. The issue of psittacosis has not gone away, although no epidemics similar to the one in the 1940s have occurred. The most important thing to know about this disease is the fact that it is zoonotic, transmissable from lovebirds to humans.

Chlamydia psttacin is the cause of psittacosis. In lovebirds, signs can be wheezing, sneezing, discharge from the nares, or watery eyes. A fecal stain will show if the lovebird is actively shedding C. psittaci. However, a negative result does not mean the lovebird is not infected, just that he is not actively shedding infected particles at that moment. Having a blood test for antibodies to C. psittaci is best. A positive result will indicate that the lovebird has been exposed to this bacterium and has mounted an immune response. This could mean one of two things: the lovebird is now immune and no longer will shed the virus and can begin to shed it again actively in the future. Many veterinarians will tell you that truly knowing if a lovebird is free of this pathogen after treatment is not possible. A lovebird can have a subclinical infection that is not detectable with current tests.

If you have very young children, elderly adults, or any immuno suppressed individuals living in your home or planning to visit, you should test for psittacosis. In healthy adults psittacosis causes a flulike illness. However, anyone without a fully healthy immune system can have more severe, life threatening symptoms. Psittacosis is a reportable disease, meaning the doctor must notify state health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control when it is detected in humans. You do not hear about cases of this disease very often. Current lovebird owners do not need to be alarmed if their lovebirds have never shown signs of ilness and no family members have had unexplained, extended illnesses. However, anyone who has had a long-term respiratory illness that has not responded to treatment should let their doctor know if they own parrots because the medication for psittacosis is very specific.

You should note that active organisms can remain in dried fecal matter for many months. Therefore, you should throw out any items that cannot be properly disinfected such as wood perches and toys, if C. psittaci is detected in your lovebird. This bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics either via medicated seed or through injections. Humans who have contracted the infection are also treated with antibiotics.

Megabacteriosis
Although the name suggest this is a baterial infection, some veterinary researchers suggest it is not your typical bacteria and even has some characteristics similar to Candidda. Megabacteria have been of particular concern recently. They are thought to be an opportunistic pathogen. In other words, they may be endemic in the environment, but only birds with underlying immune problems are susceptible to colonization. Some birds may be asymptomic carriers. Budgerigars, lovebirds, cockatiels, canaries, and finches are susceptible. Problems have been increasing among exhibition budgerigars in the United Kingdom. It is often a wasting disease affecting young lovebirds; these lovebirds lose weight and die. Unfortunetly, it is usually diagnosed postmortem by fecal stain or by smears from the liver or spleen.

Sometimes lovebirds infected with megabacteriosis will show blood in the feces. Other signs can be lethargy, grinding of the seed with the beak but not actually ingesting it, unhulled seeds in the feces or being regurgitated around the beak, which is actually blood.

Diagnosis and treatment can be challenging. Culture of organisms is difficult. The best test seems to be a fecal stain. The most successful treatments have been of lovebirds that were diagnosed within a few days of signs appearing. The main treatment has been with amphotericin B, which is normally used as an antifungal agent in immunocompromised human patients. It must be given twice daily by mouth for 10 to 14 days, which is a rigorous therapy for both the lovebird and its owner. The treatment is not always effective. Megabacteriosis is an example of a disease that is best prevented with proper sanitary practices, quarantine, and closed aviaries.

Fungal Diseases
Many fungal organisms are opportunistic. This means they essentially prey upon vulnerable hosts. A vulnerable host might be a lovebird with an underlying viral disease or a lovebird forced to live in dirty or moldy conditions.

Aspergillosis
Aspergillus species generally affect lovebirds who have an underlying immune dysfunction or who have been living in dirty cage conditions. Aspergillus species have also been found in unshelled peanuts, so these are not recommended for parrots. Corncob bedding has also been identified as a breeding ground for this fungus, so it is best avoided.

Aspergillus grows in the air sacs of the lungs, causing severe respiratory distress. Most veterinarians will tell you it is a singularly frustating disease to treat, requiring long-term therapy that often fails. In many cases, the air sacs have been too compromised by the time the disease is recognized. Some other factors that can put lovebirds at risk of infection are immunosuppression due to other underlying factors, too much vitamin A in the diet, the overuse and abuse of antibiotics, and poorly ventilated aviaries.

Candida albicans
This fungal infection is most often seen in young lovebirds being hand-fed. Candida can grow in the crop, causing sour or slow crop, or it can grow in the lungs if food is aspirated. The most susceptible adult lovebirds are those living in dirty conditions and those in which antibiotics have been overused and abused. Signs can be regurgitation and slow crop.

Food-Borne and Other Bacterial Infections
Parrots can get food poisoning just as humans can. You should use the same precautions in preparing their food as you would when preparing food for human guests. Do not cut up their vegetables on a cutting board where you recently cut raw chicken or other meats. One of the best disinfectants is Oxygene, which has stabilized chlorine dioxide. One the reasons I particularly like it is that it is not toxic to humans or lovebirds if any residue remains. Use a fruit and vegetable wash for fresh foods. It not only removes any bacteria. Now this does not mean you should take out some smelly sprouted seeds and beans and use the special wash to make them "clean". Rotten food should be tossed. If you have any suspicion that a food has spoiled, trust your instincts and toss it.

Any of the bacteria that contaminate foods and cause illness in humans can cause illness in lovebirds. Remember, vegetables and fruits can harbor Escherichia coli bacteria on the outer skin. You must wash canteloupe and other fruits thoroughly before cutting into them. You can never know for sure if a neighboring farm's cattle waste washed into the fields where they grew the fruits and vegetables you just pulled from your fridge. Some of these bacteria are lethal enough to kill your lovebird.

The most common problems documented in parrots are the Enterobacteriaceae. For instance, salmonellosis is most commonly due to Salmonella typhimurium, and colibacillosis is due to Escherichia coli. Human carries of S. typhimurium can infect companion lovebirds, although I am loathe to consider the kind of personal hygiene such people practice.

Other pathogens are Bordetella avium in contaminated water and Klebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca, which are resistant to many disinfectants and can be transmitted to humans. Wash your hands thoroughly and use a nail brush to make sure no bacteria or other contaminants are lodged under your nails before you prepare your lovebird's food. In fact, hand washing is by the far the greatest preventive measure for the spread of bacteria and should be done both before and after handling your lovebird or its foods.

Prevention of Diseases
The most important method of prevention is to keep the environment clean. Cages,toys, swings, perches, and food and water bowls should be washed and disinfected regularly. If your lovebird poops into its water, try moving the bowl to a different location to eliminate the problem. A weekly thorough disinfection of the cage is an excellent policy.

Disinfection Techniques
Before actually disinfecting bowls and cages, you must first remove all traves of organic materials. Organic matter tends to dilute or eliminate the bactericidal and virucidal effects of most disinfectants. Once the items have been scrubbed clean, you can then move on the disinfection process.

Household bleach is one of the best and least expensive disinfetants. You need add only one part bleach to every 30 parts water to achieve sufficient disinfecttion. Most people use far too much bleach and are overwhelmed by the smell. Also, use bleach in a well-ventilated area, even at this dilution.

Some commercial disinfectants are specifically formulated for use in aviaries, such as chlorhexidine gluconates and glutaraldehydes. However, be sure you read the instructions carefully. Many of these chemicals require a minimum soaking time and are not effective if the instructions are not carefully followed. Some household disinfectants may be too strong in odor to use around your lovebirds. Generally, putting your lovebird into a carrier cage then cleaning its main cage in a well-ventilated area is best. Some people will use rubbing alcohol to disinfect smaller items or utensils. However, remember that this requires about 20 minutes of contact time to kill all viruses and bacteria.

Exposure to Outside Birds
I have often seen proud pet bird owners march through a crowded bird mart with their beloved parrot on their shoulder. Nothing could be more risky than this behavior. these marts are crowded not only with birds from multiple sources but many unweaned baby birds, an unfortunate development in the commercial bird world. If any place puts your lovebird at risk for contracting an infectious disease, this is the place. In fact, if you visit these marts even without your lovebirds, you should follow some very strict guidelines upon returning home. First, leave your shoes outside. After entering the home, immedietely toss your clothes into the laundry and wash them in a detergent that contains a bactericidal agent. Some companies now make powder laundry detergents that will kill 99 percent of bacteria if used at the proper temperature. After doing this, go straight to the shower and thoroughly wash your hair and clean under your fingernails. Do not handle your lovebird until you have done this.

If you purchase items at pet stores or marts where birds are not separate from the products, wash the outer packaging of the item or the item itself before giving it to your lovebird. This means even washing the plastic seed bags. Although this might seem excessive, I have heard a number of stories of people who had a lovebird suddenly become ill with a devastating disease after the owner had visited a show or store.

Next >