Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Snowy owl died and goshawk cured of Haemoproteus infection at Korean
By Lee, Seung-Hun et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2018·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The first clinical cases of Haemoproteus infection in a snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) and a goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) at a zoo in the Republic of Korea.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A snowy owl at a zoo in South Korea became very sick and eventually died after showing signs of not eating, being depressed, and lethargic. A blood test confirmed it had a Haemoproteus infection, which affected its internal organs. Another bird, a goshawk, had similar symptoms but was successfully treated with a combination of medications and made a full recovery. Both birds had low red blood cell counts, indicating they were anemic due to the infection.
People also search for: snowy owl illness · goshawk treatment for infection · bird anemia symptoms · Haemoproteus in birds · avian infection treatment
Abstract
This study reports two clinical cases of avian haemosporidian infection caused by a Haemoproteus sp., involving a snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) and a goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), at a zoo. The snowy owl died after presenting with anorexia, depression and lethargy. A blood smear with Wright's staining confirmed Haemoproteus infection. Necropsy of the snowy owl revealed hypertrophy of the internal organs, including the liver, gallbladder, kidney and adrenal glands. The goshawk showed anorexia, depression and a lowered head position, and was diagnosed with a Haemoproteus infection based on a blood smear. The goshawk was completely cured by treatment with a combination of atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride. Both cases showed decreased erythrocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit values on complete blood count.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29937458/