Monitored therapy of sporadic mycobacteriosis caused by Mycobacterium genavense in Atlantic canaries (Serinus canaria) and Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata)

Introduction Mycobacteriosis is a significant disease of companion and wild birds which causes emaciation and widely distributed lesions, as well as being a potential zoonosis. Its primary aetiological agents in birds are Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium and the fastidious Mycobacterium genavense. This study monitored the therapy of birds naturally infected with Mycobacterium genavense to gain understanding of its effectiveness and the interrelation of co-infections with the disease course and pharmacotherapy. Material and Methods Five Atlantic canaries (Serinus canaria) and one Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata) with tentative diagnoses of mycobacteriosis resulting from M. genavense infection were treated twice daily with clarithromycin at 40 mg/kg, ethambutol at 30 mg/kg, and moxifloxacin at 10 mg/kg for 6 months. Two canaries were also found to be carriers of Cryptosporidium galli. Mycobacteria in faecal samples of all birds were investigated by bacterioscopy and quantitative PCR. Results Molecular tests yielded positive results for up to four months after treatment initiation for M. genavense and Cryptosporidium, but microscopy failed to detect the latter after four weeks in specimens from one canary. Co-infections with polyomavirus (in all birds) and circovirus and bornavirus (in canaries) were diagnosed. Two birds died during treatment and one was euthanised because of other disease, 1 month after treatment completion. Three canaries were in relatively good health a year after treatment. Conclusion Canary circovirus and polyomavirus co-infection may suppress the immune system and this may facilitate the development of mycobacteriosis. The set of drugs used led to the complete cure of mycobacteriosis in three canaries. In one bird the disease returned. Clarithromycin was the active drug against C. galli. Molecular methods serve well to monitor mycobacteriosis therapy and identify M. genavense and C. galli carriage.

Lankesterella (Apicomplexa, Lankesterellidae) Blood Parasites of Passeriform Birds: Prevalence, Molecular and Morphological Characterization, with Notes on Sporozoite Persistence In Vivo and Development In Vitro

Recent studies confirmed that some Hepatozoon-like blood parasites (Apicomplexa) of birds are closely related to the amphibian parasite Lankesterella minima. Little is known about the biology of these pathogens in birds, including their distribution, life cycles, specificity, vectors, and molecular characterization. Using blood samples of 641 birds from 16 species, we (i) determined the prevalence and molecular diversity of Lankesterella parasites in naturally infected birds; (ii) investigated the development of Lankesterella kabeeni in laboratory-reared mosquitoes, Culex pipiens forma molestus and Aedes aegypti; and (iii) tested experimentally the susceptibility of domestic canaries, Serinus canaria, to this parasite. This study combined molecular and morphological diagnostic methods and determined 11% prevalence of Lankesterella parasites in Acrocephalidae birds; 16 Lankesterella lineages with a certain degree of host specificity and two new species (Lankesterella vacuolata n. sp. and Lankesterella macrovacuolata n. sp.) were found and characterized. Lankesterella kabeeni (formerly Hepatozoon kabeeni) was re-described. Serinus canaria were resistant after various experimental exposures. Lankesterella sporozoites rapidly escaped from host cells in vitro. Sporozoites persisted for a long time in infected mosquitoes (up to 42 days post exposure). Our study demonstrated a high diversity of Lankesterella parasites in birds, and showed that several avian Hepatozoon-like parasites, in fact, belong to Lankesterella genus.

Swab Bukal Sebagai Bahan Sexing Piyikan Burung Kenari (Serinus canaria) dan Burung Merpati (Columba livia)

Teknik sexing pada burung secara molekuler dengan metode PCR telah banyak dikembangkan, tetapi sampel yang digunakan adalah darah dan bulu yang dianggap invasif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari efisiensi sampel swab bukal sebagai sumber DNA dalam sexing dengan metode PCR. Penelitian ini menggunakan 10 ekor burung kenari (Serinus canaria) yang terdiri dari 6 ekor burung dewasa (3 jantan dan 3 betina) dan 4 ekor kenari piyikan (umur 14 – 18 hari) yang belum diketahui jenis kelaminnya serta 6 ekor merpati (Columba livia) dewasa (3 jantan dan 3 betina) dan 7 ekor merpati piyikan (umur 14 – 25 hari) yang belum diketahui jenis kelaminnya. Amplifikasi fragmen gen dilakukan menggunakan metode PCR dengan pasangan primer CHD1F/CHD1R.Hasil visualisasi produk PCR menunjukkan semua burung jantan dewasa menghasilkan satu band (± 500 bp), sedangkan burung betina dewasa menghasilkan dua band (± 500 bp dan ± 300 bp). Amplifikasi gen dari swab bukal burung kenari muda didapatkan 2 ekor jantan dan 2 ekor betina, sedangkan dari swab bukal burung merpati muda didapatkan 6 ekor jantan dan 1 ekor betina. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa sampel swab bukal terbukti efisien sebagai sumber DNA dalam sexing burung khususnya burung piyikan.