Avian Borna Virus in Psittacine Birds: Viral distribution, tropism and immune response
by Basim Ibrahim Hasan Al-Ibadi
Publisher: VVB Laufersweiler Verlag, Giessen, 1st ed.,2015
Language: English
ISBN-10: -
ISBN-13: -
196 pages
Inaugural dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Medicine in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the PhD-degree of the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine of the Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a chronic and fatal disease affecting mainly psittacine birds such as macaws, amazon or African grey parrots, conures, cockatoos, and cockatiels. PDD was identified in the late of 1970s and was originally known as "macaw wasting syndrome" . PDD is characterized by ganglioneuritis in the enteric nervous system and encephalomyelitis .
Clinically, birds with PDD are presenting gastrointestinal tract dysfunction (diarrhea, dysphagia, regurgitation, and passage of undigested food in the droppings), and/or neurological symptoms (ataxia, abnormal gait, incoordination), or both.
The study aimed to characterize the distribution pattern of different Avian borna virus (ABV) genotypes and inflammatory lesions combined with analysis of the invading immune cell populations after ABV-2 and after ABV-4 infection in cockatiels. This can essentially contribute to enlarge the knowledge on neurotropic virus infections that are able to cause neurological and gastrointestinal dysfunctions.