Systemic protozoal disease in hihi and saddlebacks |
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| Authors: | MR Alley CM Twentyman |
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| Affiliation: | Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences , Massey University , Palmerston North, New Zealand E-mail: M.R.Alley@massey.ac.nz |
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| Abstract: | Extract Juvenile hihi or stitchbirds (Notiomystis cincta) and saddlebacks (Philestumus carunculatus) are particularly prone to systemic protozoal infections when kept in high density populations. Granu-lomatous lesions in the intestine, liver and spleen are associated with proliferating intracellular schizonts. Affected birds become anorexic and lose weight or die suddenly without clinical signs. The protozoan in hihi appears most likely to be Atoxoplasma spp whereas that in saddlebacks is more like Plasmodium spp. |
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