New parasite lets pigeons die

Deadly parasite causes Berlin's doves to die: researchers investigate connections

09/04/2012

A new epidemic worries many pigeon fanciers: Numerous stocks of noble breeding pigeons are affected by a relatively unknown infectious disease. After only a few weeks, the animals die as a result of the parasitic disease. For the first time, scientists from Freie Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) have succeeded in identifying the parasite. It is an intruder that is already on the rise worldwide. Several studies on already deceased pigeons could soon provide important information. A skipping on humans or other farm animals but could not be determined so far.

A new animal disease among pigeons is on the rise. Veterinarians and researchers still know very little about the often fatal disease. Now, brain examinations of dead animals should provide first conclusions, as the TU Berlin announced.

Symptoms: Diarrhea and encephalitis
For the first time, the animal disease occurred in 2006, as the Veterinary Institute Director Achim Gruber explained. The first symptom in the animals is diarrhea, explained the expert. Doves that did not die from diarrheal disease suffered from cerebral inflammation after seven to eight weeks. This moved the animals „Uncoordinated, staggered or simply fell over. "Due to the disturbed motor skills, they quickly become the prey of griffon animals such as hawks and falcons, which in turn favors the distribution of the parasite with the name „Sarcozystis calchasi“, said the veterinarian.

If the pigeons are torn by other birds, the parasite passes by consumption of the muscle meat in the gut of the birds of prey. There he nests in the intestinal cells, and millions of tiny new parasites emerge, "said Gruber.Hawks or hawks do not die themselves on the pathogen, but pass it on his feces to the pigeons Become water or food with the feces contaminated, the parasites return to the pigeons The researchers team Gruber, Philipp Olias and Michael Lierz discovered that the animals are therefore only intermediate hosts for the parasite.

Similar transmission paths also with other animals
Scientists have already observed a similar infection pathway in cattle. In doing so, sit down „Besnoitia“ Under the skin of the animals and trigger inflammatory sites. Again, birds served as intermediate hosts. The named pathogen is currently spreading to northern Germany in southern Germany.

No treatment possible yet
"A vaccine against the pigeon parasite would be possible," says Gruber. A special vaccine does not yet exist and would have to be developed. According to the expert, development time would take at least four years. In addition, a pharmaceutical company would have to find a drug would develop. One problem here is the following sales market. This would have to be correspondingly large.

In 2011, the parasite was already observed in the US. "Whether there are more cases in Germany is not clear," reports the director of the institute. The symptoms caused by the pathogen are similar to other diseases.

Currently no transmissions to humans observed
So far, the pathogen was found to be harmless to humans. However, pigeons should not be touched because they are carriers of various diseases, "Gruber warns, and an infection of chickens, which could also be ripped off by birds of prey, has not yet been determined.

Encephalitis without pathogens
The research team now wants to analyze the brains of the deceased animals in more detail. Finally, the pigeons fell ill with encephalitis. The special thing: the meningitis is present, without the pathogen was in the head, "said the veterinarian.So far scientists in the case of such research in such cases always in the dark had tapped.Therefore, the German Research Foundation supports the study, „How can the inflammations in the brain develop without pathogens?.“ (Sb)

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Image: Ulrich Velten