Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New parrot bornavirus found in pet psittacines with neurological
By Philadelpho, Natalia A et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2014·Department of Pathology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survey of bornaviruses in pet psittacines in Brazil reveals a novel parrot bornavirus.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A survey of pet parrots in Brazil found that 32 out of 112 birds tested positive for a virus linked to proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), a serious neurological condition. Many of the infected birds showed symptoms like neurological issues, undigested seeds in their droppings, and some even experienced sudden death. This study highlights the presence of a new strain of the virus, called parrot bornavirus 8 (PaBV-8), which poses a significant risk to parrot populations. Pet owners should be aware of these symptoms and consult their veterinarian if they notice any unusual behavior in their birds.
People also search for: parrot neurological symptoms · proventricular dilatation disease in birds · parrot virus treatment
Abstract
Avian bornaviruses are the causative agents of proventricular dilatation disease (PDD), a fatal neurological disease considered to be a major threat to psittacine bird populations. We performed a survey of the presence of avian bornaviruses and PDD in pet psittacines in Brazil and also studied PDD's clinical presentation as well as the genomic variability of the viruses. Samples from 112 psittacines with clinical signs compatible with PDD were collected and tested for the presence of bornaviruses. We found 32 birds (28.6%) positive for bornaviruses using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Twenty-one (65.6%) of the 32 bornavirus-positive birds presented neurological signs, seven (21.9%) presented undigested seeds in feces, four (12.5%) showed proventricular dilatation, six (18.8%) regurgitation, three (9.4%) feather plucking and three (9.4%) sudden death. The results confirm that avian bornaviruses are present in pet psittacines in Brazil, and sequence analysis identified a distinct virus, named parrot bornavirus 8 (PaBV-8).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25465670/