Pigeon Diseases

- Fungal diseases

Aspergillosis

Aspergillosis is a fungal disease of birds, animals and humans. It is usually characterized in the pigeon as a chronic infection of the lungs and air sacs. Another name for this disease is pneumomycosis.

Etiology:

Aspergillus fungi, they grow as multicellular, fluffy mold colonies, free

living in the soil, on vegetation or parasitic living in or on birds, animals,

and humans.

Clinical signs 

Respiratory form: difficulty in breathing, greenish deposits on tongue and palate.

Skin form: skin scaling off with breaking of feathers.

Postmortem examination: Fungal colony in lungs.

Microscopic examination of deposits and skin scrapings.

Treatment:

Elimination of source of infection (e.g. moldy feed), separation of affected

birds. No treatment is recommended for Aspergillus respiratory infections in pigeons. Skin infections can be successfully treated e.g. with copper sulfate (1:2000 dilution) or a solution of mercuric chloride (1:500 dilution).

A pigeon with neurological symptoms suffer from Aspergillosis (Left) and numerous granulomatous lesions on air sacks (Right).

Prevention:                                         

Dry, well-ventilated loft, good quality feed, administration of vitamins.