Most compounds considered toxic to mammals should also be considered toxic to birds. Table 37.1 offers a guide for treatment of intoxication from some common household products. Based on their size and physiology, birds are more prone than mammals to intoxication by some compounds, such as volatile chemicals and fumes. Psittaciformes have a propensity to chew on almost anything. All avian clien...

To investigate an outbreak of avian pox in psittacines in a conservation facility, we examined 94 birds of 10 psittacine species, including sick and healthy birds. We found psittacine pox virus in 23 of 27 sick birds and 4 of 67 healthy birds. Further characterization is needed for these isolates.

Psittacine birds have been identified as reservoirs of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, a subset of pathogens associated with mortality of children in tropical countries. The role of other orders of birds as source of infection is unclear. The aim of this study was to perform the molecular diagnosis of infection with diarrheagenic E. coli in 10 different orders of captive wild birds in the state...

Long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light generates substantial damage, and in mammals, visual sensitivity to UV is restricted to short-lived diurnal rodents and certain marsupials. In humans, the cornea and lens absorb all UV-A and most of the terrestrial UV-B radiation, preventing the reactive and damaging shorter wavelengths from reaching the retina. This is not the case in certain specie...

The identities of chlamydial strains, which can infect a given host, are important to know for disease prognosis, disease control, and epidemiology. The microimmunofluorescence test (MIFT) was used with a panel of 14 serovar-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to serotype 150 chlamydial isolates from domestic and wild birds. The isolates were obtained from birds submitted to diagnostic labora...

The Psittaciformes are a large order of landbirds comprising over 350 species in about 83 genera. In 2009, 141 published studies implicated parrots as research subjects; in 31 of these studies, 483 individuals from 45 different species could be considered laboratory animals. Amazons and budgerigars were by far the most represented psittacine species. The laboratory research topics were categori...

A new taxon of parrot (Psittaciformes) is described from the Middle Miocene of Southern Germany. Bavaripsitta ballmanni gen. et sp. n. is known from an almost complete tarsometatarsus which resembles the corresponding bone of some small Psittaculini (Polytelis, Alisterus) and Platycercini (e.g., Psephotus spp.) in general shape and morphology. Although the new taxon cannot be assigned to any of...