Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Avian bornavirus infection common in captive canary birds in Germany
By Rubbenstroth, Dennis et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2013·Department of Virology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Avian bornaviruses are widely distributed in canary birds (Serinus canaria f. domestica).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A study found that avian bornavirus (ABV) is common in canary birds, with 12 out of 30 flocks tested in Germany showing the virus. Some canaries with ABV had gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms similar to a disease known as proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), while others appeared healthy. The research also showed that infected canaries could spread the virus to other birds without showing any signs of illness themselves. This suggests that ABV could be a potential health risk for canaries, and pet owners should be aware of the symptoms and consider testing if their birds show any unusual signs.
People also search for: canary bird symptoms · avian bornavirus canary · proventricular dilatation disease canary treatment
Abstract
Avian bornavirus (ABV) was identified in 2008 as the causative agent of proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) in psittacine birds. In addition, ABV variants were detected in wild waterfowl and in a canary bird. PDD-like diseases were also reported in various other avian species, but it remains unknown whether ABV is involved. In this study we detected ABV in 12 of 30 tested canary bird flocks (40%), indicating a wide distribution of ABV in captive canary birds in Germany. Sequence analysis identified several distinct ABV genotypes which differ markedly from the genotypes present in psittacine birds. Some canaries naturally infected with ABV exhibited gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms which resembled PDD in psittacines, while others did not show signs of disease. Canaries experimentally inoculated with ABV developed infections of the brain and various other organs. The experimentally infected canaries transmitted the virus to sentinel birds kept in the same aviary, but did not show any clinical signs during a five month observation period. Embryonated eggs originating from ABV-infected hens contained ABV-specific RNA, but virus could not be re-isolated from embryonic tissue. These results indicate that ABV is widely distributed in canary birds and due to its association to clinical signs should be considered as a potential pathogen of this species.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23631925/