Veterinary Services

Approximately 20 deaths were reported in budgerigars, canaries and finches in a large retail store. Deaths began shortly after the birds had completed a course of doxycycline given prophylactically to control chlamydiosis.

Post mortem examination revealed fevered carcasses with enlargement of the liver and spleen, and heavy growths of S. Typhimurium were isolated from all carcasses examined. Deaths stopped when the remaining birds were given a two-week course of enrofloxacin in their drinking water, but mortality recurred after withdrawal of the medicated drinking water. Ten days after birds were submitted from the first premise, high mortality occurred in budgerigars in a second organisation, with reports of over 60 deaths in a batch of 200 birds. Again, heavy growths of S. Typhimurium were isolated from affected birds. Isolates from both sites were characterised as RDNC ("reacts, does not conform"), but pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) carried out by the Scottish Salmonella Reference Laboratory showed that all of the isolates were closely related.