Pet Forum / Birds / Birds / November 2003

For your information:

promed-mail Nov 27th, 2003
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
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From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: The Budgerigar Society web-site, [edited]
<http://www.budgerigarsociety.com/>

Virus Identified
-----------------
Further news has been received from VLA (DEFRA) Laboratories in Weybridge,
who have been conducting the main investigations on the virus over the past
few months. After they sent samples to the same labs in Europe that helped
deal with the recent SARS virus in humans, they have made a breakthrough.
In the majority of samples, a Reovirus like agent has been revealed. The
examinations are at an early stage with this breakthrough and further
studies are in progress.

Reovirus is an extremely complex virus that has been associated with
hepatitis, diarrhoea, and mortality in several species of parrots, in
particular African Greys. VLA was not aware of any reports describing the
presence of Reovirus-like agents in Budgerigars until now.

Once more information is received on Reovirus we may be in a position to
consider an isolation period of perhaps 90 days before we recommend that
bird movements can re-commence.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The Budgerigars Society's web-site mentioned, on 28 Aug 2003, 3 additional
suspected outbreaks of the disease.

In earlier postings, Paramyxovirus was mentioned as the possible causative
agent. We are grateful to Dr Ian Brown, VLA, for the following explanatory
comment:

"Given the completely unknown aetiology, initial investigations focused on
eliminating this as the causative organism, since the clinical presentation
was similar to that described previously in infections with PMV5. and it
seemed prudent to investigate this virus amongst other PMV serotypes first."

Further data -- and exclusion of theoretically possible dual infection or a
multi-factorial aetiology of this intriguing syndrome -- are anticipated. -
Mod.AS]

Vox.