Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease ( PBFD )

Note the appearance of this cockatoo with PBFD; broken feathers and shiny beak


Today I had a little chat with Dr Hsu Li Chieh, a very experienced and reputable Avian Vet regarding this deadly disease.
PBFD is a deadly Avian Disease that affects a wide range of parrots. It is a Psittacine Circovirus 16 nm in diameter and is the smallest known virus capable of causing disease. It kills the cells of the beak and feather, along with those of the immune system, and consequently many birds succumb to bacterial and other infections. It’s mode of transmission is similar to that of HIV in humans, and is generally passed from parents to offspring in the nest, via bodily fluids when feeding. Dr Hsu specially highlighted to me PFBD can also be transmitted when it is being shedded through feather dust and dried faeces, and in this form is highly contagious. It is not advisable to handle a parrot with PBFD unless you know how to take special precaution or you may transmit this disease to other healthy birds. In other words a parrot with PFBD should be isolated from other parrots.

The clinical symptoms of PFBD do not become evident until after the bird’s first moult. They include feather damage due to the destruction of powder – down feathers and replacement of healthy feathers with dystrophic feathers, whilst the beak will often become glossy. It is not possible to determine whether a bird is suffering from PBFD when it is a juvenile, despite specialised testing, and even with adults the layman can only recognise the symptoms if the disease is in the acute stages.

As a purchaser of a Psittacine it is incumbent upon you to recognise that this disease exists and may affect your bird. You should take standard quarantine measures and not introduce this bird to others unless you are satisfied that it is clear of PBFD.


You should always seek veterinary advice if you are unsure of the health of your bird.

__________________
Petsfanatics.com has no multi-million dollar marketing campaign or celebrity sponsors, but we do have something even better—you. If you enjoy Petsfanatics please consider telling a friend, sharing it with anyone who loves pets, or writing the author of a media article that overlooks us.
PETAS [Pets Enterprises and Traders Association (Singapore) ] - Committee Member
Founder of Merlion-K9 Training
www.merlion-K9.com
Public Relations Officer
FYNNMOOD GOLDFISH CLUB SINGAPORE
Public Relations Officer
Pets Community at The Serangoon
Member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)