Respiratory complex (ornithosis complex) in pigeons
Other names: Cold، Chill، Runny nose
Symptoms
- Sneezing, discharge, swollen eyes, breathing noise, soiled nasal wattles (cere)
- Declining performance
How it spreads
Crowding, poor ventilation, humidity, baskets.
Diagnosis
Clinical examination + PCR.
Treatment
Depends on the agent - by the veterinarian. [Update 3] Harlin & Wade 2009 (ornithosis complex 'eye cold'): chlamydia is the main cause with mycoplasma, Gram-negatives and herpes, and often trichomonas. Tylosin is often successful, or tetracycline/lincomycin/erythromycin; tetracycline eye ointment; diagnosis of chlamydia by PCR from the upper conjunctiva and nostrils, not the cloaca.
Prevention
The most important prevention: loft design and ventilation. Indiscriminate preventive treatments are not advisable (antibiotic resistance).
Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.
Other diseases
- Salmonella (paratyphoid)
- Ornithosis (chlamydia)
- Mycoplasma
- Single-eye cold (one-eyed cold)
- E. coli
- Streptococcus (Streptococcus gallolyticus)
- Pasteurella (cat bite)
- Avian tuberculosis
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- Vogel, Gehrke, Lehmann - 'Taubenkrankheiten' / Vogel & Gylstorff - standard German pigeon disease texts - not fetched
- pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov