Aspergillosis

[lovemyGreys]

Aspergillosis.

 

Aspergillosis is the name given to a variety of diseases caused by the fungus of Aspergillus.

Two known strains of fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, produce aflatoxins, which can be found in peanuts, peanuts in the shell and peanut products.

 

Aspergillosis in birds is a respiratory disease caused by the fungus Aspergillus.

Aspergillus grows readily in warm and moist environments. The microscopic spores of the fungus become airborne. Poor ventilation, poor sanitation, dusty conditions, and close confinement increase the chance the spores will be inhaled.

The severity of Aspergillosis is determined by various factors but one of the most

Important factors is the state of the immune system of your bird.

Feeding a healthy nutrional diet, keeping your birds living area clean , good ventilation & fresh water changed throughout the day will minimize the risk of your bird inhaling any airborne spores.

 

 

What are the signs of aspergillosis?

 

There can be two forms of aspergillosis, chronic & acute.

 

Birds with acute aspergillosis may have difficulty in breathing loss of appetite, frequent drinking and urination, and sometimes sudden death mat occur.. The fungus generally affects the trachea, (voice box), and air sacs. The lungs may also be involved.

 

Chronic aspergillosis is much more common, and unfortunately more deadly. The bird may not show any symptoms until the disease has progressed too far. The respiratory system is attacked, nodules appear and work through the tissue, large numbers of spores enter the bloodstream. The spores then travel throughout the body, infecting multiple organs.

 

Aspergillosis can be difficult to diagnose as the signs of disease copy those of many other illnesses. The veterinarian will need to do a full blood count & maybe an endoscopy, a view down the trachea, to help diagnois.

 

So there you have a brief run down on Aspergillosis.

As with any food we feed out birds there is always a risk, There has been a lot said about Aspergillosis, but you need to use your own judgemeant & common sense. Feed only human grade nuts,discard if the nut has an odour or looks bad & check for mould.<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/09/02 01:47

[Talon]

Tracy, Thank you for starting another very good thread! You have taught us so much, in many different areas, in just the short time you have been moderator of this room.

I'm very proud of all the hard work you have put into this job. Yes, we don't get monetary rewards for all we do here, but the wonderful feeling you get in knowing that you have helped someone increase their knowledge here, can not be measured in with any amount of money.

(and I know, the off-topic police are out again, trust me, they know where to find me, they follow me everywhere!):pinch:

[Guest Monique]

I just want to repeat what lovemygreys first paragraph said which is that this is common in peanuts ... as this is the most common place where it can get picked up.

 

Lovemygreys - Your contributions to this forum are great!!! Thank you!!

[judygram]

Tracy, another fine thread, you are doing such a good job, stop it, you are making me look bad. Just kidding, Tracy, you keep up the good work, we need these kinds of threads to keep everyone informed of what is out there that our greys could be exposed to. For forewarned is forarmed, and we don't know if we are not told of it.

[lovemyGreys]

Thanks guys,:blush:

 

Obviously my articles i write only skim the surface & for those who need to research more there is a wealth of information available on the Internet, but i think some threads need to be simplified so all members are able to understand with out getting deeply involved with extremely hard jargon they are unable to decipher.

[Lusya]

Unfortunately I had no chance to come to the forum more often. With my work and other things I am trying to spend all extra time with Izzie, so she (yes, we had a DNA test and it’s a girl!!) doesn’t feel lonely.

 

We took her to an avian vet about 1.5 months ago. The blood count came back slightly higher. The doctor asked us to come bask in a month to check her blood count again. Yesterday I received a phone call from our vet, she said Izzie’s blood count came back slightly higher again (same as last time). She said it could be 2 possibilities: 1) this could be her physics or 2) it could be a sign of an Aspergillosis. They will send a test out on Monday to check if it is an infection. I will have results back by the end of the week.

 

Now I went online to read more about the infection and it really scared me. I do clean her cage every day, I don’t give her peanuts, I change her water 2-3 times a day, she eats pellets and veggies/fruits. My only concern is the apartment we live in right now. It seems it is little dusty in here even with filter being changed.

 

Since I don’t know the results now I was just wondering to read more about this infection and it’s treatment. It is treatable? Or it is a deadly one? Can we do something to save our baby in case if she has it? Before I hear from our vet I want to be a little prepared since I knew nothing about this infection.

 

I would appreciate any useful information or maybe a link with more about the treatment.

 

Thanks!

[Ronda477]

Yes thank you Tracy! I never really knew about this! It was very informing! I do give sweetHeart peanuts all the time for her treats! Although she doesn't eat them, she just loves to pick them apart!

 

Lusya sorry to hear about your bad news! Here is a link though that I found myself to learn a little more about it and it should answer most of your questions!

 

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1829&articleid=2384

[judygram]

Thanks for that link Ronda, it does have a lot of good information to know and does answer most questions.

[Ronda477]

No problem! I found that and it does pretty much answer a bunch. Hopefully she will find it useful! I never really knew about this! And between that and Tracy informing us I think it's great!