The research below came from the 1st International Conference on Avian, Herpetological and Exotic Mammal Medicine, 20-26 April, 2013 in Wiesbaden, Germany. The information below still needs to go through the peer-review process and should only serve as an update.

1. Until a recent presentation given in 2013, avian bornavirus infection and PDD were considered diseases of captive parrots. Research by Enderlain, et al showed that 33% of tested free-ranging parrots (84 birds total, 7 different species) from Brazil were positive for avian bornavirus on PCR. Members from all species, both sexes and different ages were positive. Twenty two percent had specific anti-avian bornavirus antibodies (only genotype IV found in this group- see more on genotypes below). Finally, 11 birds had histologic lesions consistent with PDD (of these, only 4 were avian bornavirus positive via PCR). It is important to note that this information has not gone through peer review (and should not be used for reference material) but will hopefully be published soon. This is the first time that we have support that both avian bornavirus and PDD are present in wild parrots and has implications as to the origins of the virus and disease.

2. A recent (2013, non-peer reviewed) publication from Rossi, et al suggested that a combination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis extracts and a specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug can be used to suppress nerve inflammation and clinical signs associated with PDD in parrots. The treatment protocol is under patent protection and is still being investigated but may, in the near future, offer a more targeted treatment option for birds affected with PDD.

See the full discussion under ‘Blog’.

M. Scott Echols, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice)

Lynne,

Thank you for listening!

We know that birds, with or without PDD, can intermittently shed avian bornavirus (ABV) for up to several years (and maybe longer?). So depending on when and how you test for ABV, an infected bird can test positive or negative. This is obviously frustrating because it means that a bird that is a true positive may not test positive on the test- especially if looking at stool samples alone. Just so I am clear, a bird that is positive for ABV is not necessarily affected with PDD.

Scott Echols, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice)