PBFD Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Test

Description

How does it work?

After you buy our PBFD Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Test, you will receive an email with all the details about how to download the sample card where you need to put 3 or 4 drops of blood.

You can use a standard envelope and stamp for sending the samples to our main laboratory located in Spain.

If you have any question about the service, please send your inquiry to [email protected]

What is Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease?

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) can affect a significant number of psittacines (macaws, cockatoos, yacos, agapornis, eclectus, etc.). The etiological agent of the disease is a member of the Circovirus type, the family Circoviridae.

Recent clinical studies link this acute disease with severe mortality in young birds (birds where the virus is most likely to spread) usually accompanied by feather abnormalities, diarrhoea, or weight loss. Beak deformities can occur in later stages of the disease and are a sign of chronic disease.

Transmission occurs mostly through direct contact between affected and healthy birds. Other mechanisms of transmission may be inhalation, contact with faecal material, powder of feathers and/or feeders, contaminated food or water.

What to do after the lab result?

Currently, there is no treatment for the cure of this disease, although in some cases the birds experience an immune response to the disease. For this reason, if the result of the analysis of the bird presenting symptoms is positive, a second analysis is recommended after a period of 30-45 days.

If the second analysis is positive, it is advisable to isolate the bird, clean the cages with disinfectant products (to avoid transmission of disease) and perform PBFD tests on all birds as a preventive measure.