In this volume, an article by Hruby and Hoffman titled "Avian influenza: an osteopathic component to treatment" proposes the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) as an adjunct to other forms of therapy in the management of a potential pandemic of avian influenza or "bird flu" [1]. This article is certainly timely and presents a much-needed reminder of the potential use of OMT in the ...

In this volume, an article by Hruby and Hoffman titled "Avian influenza: an osteopathic component to treatment" proposes the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) as an adjunct to other forms of therapy in the management of a potential pandemic of avian influenza or "bird flu" [1]. This article is certainly timely and presents a much-needed reminder of the potential use of OMT in the ...

Gilbert White, once curate of Selborne in Hampshire, is rightly famed for his classic descriptions of bird, mammal and insect behaviour and status in the eighteenth century, and immortalised in The Natural History of Selborne. Perhaps not so well known, however, is his interest in the public health of his parish, his respect for the individual, even if eccentric, and his sense of compassion. Fu...

This mini-review focuses on recent research with avian TLRs (Toll-like receptors), highlighting shared and distinct features compared with the more intensively studied mammalian TLR. These include the avian TLR repertoire and the response to various agonists. Studies with avian TLR can be applied to development of new approaches to control diseases of birds and is especially relevant to bird-bo...

Development and reproductive potential of the Coccinella septempunctata L. (CSL) was conducted under laboratory conditions to determine its fecundity and longevity on natural and artificial diets. Tests were made on laboratory rearing materials and all development stages were carefully recorded. Success ratios in these experiments were a matter of logistic and synchronization of these life cycl...

Wild birds are important to public health because they carry emerging zoonotic pathogens, either as a reservoir host or by dispersing infected arthropod vectors. In addition, bird migration provides a mechanism for the establishment of new endemic foci of disease at great distances from where an infection was acquired. Birds are central to the epidemiology of West Nile virus (WNV) because they ...

Wild birds are important in the maintenance and transmission of many zoonotic pathogens. With increasing urbanization and the resulting emergence of zoonotic diseases, it is critical to understand the relationships among birds, vectors, zoonotic pathogens, and the urban landscape. Here, we use wild birds as sentinels across a gradient of urbanization to understand the relative risk of diseases ...

The results of 149 surveys of bird species’ distribution and abundance at Melbourne Airport between January 1997 and June 2000, together with local weather information and bird-strike data were used to assess the comparative importance of a number of variables affecting the incidence of bird-strikes at the airport. At least 36 bird and bat species were involved in ‘bird-strikes’ at Melbourne Ai...

migratory birds are most often responsible for the distribution of avian diseases in different areas and serve as hosts for most parasites, including ectoparasites. the aim of the present study was to record the distribution range of a mesostigmatic mite species, dermanyssus gallinae in barn swallow nests in urmia suburb, north west of iran. the samples were collected from 161 bird nests in 44 ...

Bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immunologically mediated lung disease induced by inhalation of bird dropping extracts and antigens in feathers (1). Environmental assessment and removal of the avian antigen are crucial in the management of bird-related HP. Measurement of serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant protein D (SP-D) is widely accepted in Japan, as a dia...