Megabacteriosis (avian gastric yeast) in canaries and finches
Other names: Mega، Megabacteria، Wasting
Symptoms
- Weight loss even though the bird eats (the bird "wastes away")
- Regurgitation
- Undigested grains in the droppings
- Diarrhea and lethargy
How it spreads
Contaminated droppings, and possibly from the parents to the chicks. It may be present without symptoms.
Diagnosis
A fresh wet mount of droppings under the microscope (10-50x lens) shows large rods; or a Gram stain; or PCR. Shedding is intermittent so a negative does not rule it out (Merck).
Treatment
Per Merck: amphotericin B 100 mg/kg orally twice daily for 30 days (highest success rate). Or sodium benzoate in drinking water (experimental): half a teaspoon (2.5 g) per liter prepared fresh every day, reduced to a quarter teaspoon in heat above 32°C or if the birds are feeding chicks. Acidify the stomach with apple cider vinegar or vitamin C as an adjunct. (All under veterinary supervision.)
Prevention
Quarantine, a regular fecal test, and getting rid of droppings quickly.
Season
Year-round
Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.