Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease or PBFD is one of the diseases that can be passed from bird to bird and is a good reason to quarantine any new bird that comes into your household.
Visual symptoms include feather abnormalities, beak abnormalities and missing feathers and occurs normally in young birds but can also be found in older birds. Birds in the wild and in captivity have been diagnosed with it. Some birds die from the disease before showing the above symptoms. Loss of appetite, diarrhea and regurgitation may be the only signs of illness. Often death is caused by a secondary infection due to the reduced immunity caused by PBFD.
PBFD is extremely contagious and is deadly. Birds carrying this disease may not show any symptoms until stress brings it out, but they may infect other birds during this time.
Very few birds survive PBFD although they may live a fairly long life with good care and very little stress. Much research has been directed at developing a vaccine to prevent it.
Finally, an announcement has been made that a vaccination may soon be released. University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine scientists, lead by Dr. Branson Ritchie have spent years working on this and it is exciting to think that this disease may be preventable once the vaccine is available.
The hope is that the vaccine will be available by mid 2008
Information for this article was obtained from:
Defination of Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease(PBFD)
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (Psittacine Circovirus Disease).
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)
New Vaccine Taking Wing to Rid Beak and Feather Disease in Companion Birds
This Avian Medicine book, written by Dr. Branson Ritchie, Dr. Greg Harrison, Linda Harrison & Dr. Donald W. Zantop provides information and advice on many avian diseases. Avian Publications has many more informative books on their shelves.