Avian Medicine Q&A 03

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The photo above shows gross appearance of feathers from a young cockatoo that died following a short clinical illness.

Question	Answer		Article
What is the morphological diagnosis?	Multifocal follicular and feather pulp haemorrhage.		Link to Article
What is the aetiological agent?	These haemorrhages, which can vary in severity, are typical of polyomavirus infection in young psittacines.		Link to Article
What internal lesions would you expect?	Depending on the species of psittacine, there is hepatic enlargement and variable necrosis, and splenomegaly. Generalized serosal haemorrhages may be present and, in a few cases, intestinal necrosis and haemorrhage are noted.		Link to Article
How can a definitive diagnosis be made?	Histologically, finding the characteristic lesions and inclusion bodies is diagnostic. Swabbing affected organs and submitting the swab for DNA probe testing is definitive, and, in cases with poorly developed lesions, may be the only way of making a positive diagnosis. Cloacal swabs may be assessed by PCR for the presence of polyomavirus.		Link to Article