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Newcastle
Disease Can Threaten Pet Birds
Photo:
Lori Corriveau, a veterinarian at the Wellness Clinic in Purdue
University's School of Veterinary Medicine.
COLLEGE
STATION, June 26, 2003 - Exotic Newcastle Disease (END) is not just a
threat to Texas poultry producers. Backyard flock owners and those who
keep birds as pets should be aware of the damage this disease can cause,
says Dr. John El-Attrache, assistant professor at Texas A&M
University's College of Veterinary Medicine with a joint appointment in
the Poultry Science Department.
Following the discovery of END in a backyard
flock in El Paso, the Department of Agriculture has quarantined two
counties in western Texas (El Paso County and Hudspeth County) to
prevent the further spread of this disease. Like other contagious
diseases, END knows no boundaries.
Poultry producers in California faced the
eradication of approximately 3.5 million birds and have spent more than
$100 million to fight the disease and compensate owner's losses, El-Attrache
says. All birds are susceptible to this disease, particularly backyard
flocks to which vaccinations may not have been administered or
continually boosted.
"END is an extremely contagious and
fatal foreign animal disease that affects most bird species," El-Attrache
notes. "Although this disease is not new to the United States, it
is suspected to have entered through the illegal smuggle of infected
fighting cocks and Amazon parrots near the Mexican border."
This disease is often spread from an
infected bird to an uninfected bird in the same flock through bodily
discharges including feces and secretions from the nose, mouth and eyes.
Frequently, these bodily discharges attach to shoes, clothing and
equipment causing humans and vehicles to be the main source responsible
for spreading END from flock to flock and across state borders.
Proper management of this disease is the
key to preventing its spread. El-Attrache believes.
"Signs of END include sudden death,
sneezing, gasping for air, nasal discharge, coughing, muscular tremors,
drooping wings, swelling of the tissues around the eyes and in the neck,
and greenish, watery diarrhea," El-Attrache says.
Eradication is the primary goal when a
flock is diagnosed with END even though an infected bird can be saved,
it becomes a carrier of the disease and could potentially infect more
birds. Pet birds that have contracted the disease should be brought to a
veterinarian and kept away from other birds and flocks.
"END is a respiratory disease with
symptoms that are often similar to that of other non-lethal respiratory
diseases and must be identified in a diagnostic laboratory
setting," El-Attrache adds.
El-Attrache says it is critical that the
Texas Department of Health be contacted if a case of END is suspected
before making any decisions to eradicate a bird species.
Randall-Goodman
06/26/03
Aggie Daily
Texas
A&M University
Photo:
From Purdue University website
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