Pacheco's disease (psittacid herpesvirus) in parrots
Other names: Pacheco، Herpes
Symptoms
- Sudden death of birds in good body condition
- Bright yellow or green urates
- Diarrhea, lethargy, regurgitation, weakness
How it spreads
Carrier birds (some conures, nanday and quaker) shed the virus under stress (transport, mixing, mating).
Diagnosis
PCR of a mouth + cloacal swab and blood; elevated AST and leukopenia; necropsy: enlarged liver, spleen and kidneys.
Treatment
Supportive care; acyclovir during an outbreak, bearing in mind that daily handling may increase infection.
Prevention
Reduce stress; do not mix carrier New World species with Amazons/macaws; an inactivated vaccine is available worldwide. Vaccine: no commercial vaccine is currently available (not FDA-approved per VCA, and not available in Europe per a 2026 review); in an outbreak, inactivated autogenous vaccines from a specialized lab are used.
Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.
Other diseases
- Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD)
- Polyomavirus
- Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) / bornavirus
- Internal papillomatosis
- Avian pox
- Newcastle disease (bird paralysis)
- Avian influenza
- West Nile virus