Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dispharynx nasuta worm infection caused death in captive rosellas
By Churria, Carlos Daniel Gornatti et al.·Published in Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·2011·Cá·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dispharynx nasuta (Nematoda:Acuariidae) infection causing proventricular lesions and death in three captive rosellas (Psittaciformes:Psittacidae).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
Three captive rosellas, including two male Crimson rosellas and one female eastern rosella, were found dead in their cages without any warning signs. A postmortem examination revealed that they had significant muscle loss and a swollen proventriculus (a part of their stomach), which was filled with a jelly-like substance and a large number of parasitic worms called Dispharynx nasuta. This infection led to severe inflammation and damage to their stomach lining, ultimately causing their deaths. This case highlights the serious impact of this type of worm infection in pet birds.
People also search for: rosella bird death causes · proventriculitis in birds · Dispharynx nasuta infection treatment
Abstract
Two adult male Crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans) and an adult female eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius) were found dead in their cages in a private aviary in March 2009, April 2010, and February 2010, respectively, without premonitory signs. Their postmortem examination showed pectoral muscle atrophy and a distended proventriculus. The proventricular mucosal surface was covered with a gelatinous, whitish material, where a large number of nematode parasites identified as Dispharynx nasuta were present. A histologic examination revealed a hyperplastic mucosa, spirurid nematodes in the mucosal layer and inflammatory mononuclear cells in the lamina propria. This is the first report of a D. nasuta infection associated with proliferative proventriculitis and subsequent death in psittacine birds.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22946392/