PBFD - The Face Of A Killer

Sharon R. Casmier P.O. Box 850 Sumner, Washington 98390 253-863-0875 Email address: Machochaco@aol.com

Copyright: Reproduction or redistribution or editing of text by any means is prohibited except with Authors written permission. This note must remain in tact.
Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions and do not reflect necessarily the opinions of the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, or their Veterinarians or Management. Nor do they reflect the opinions of any other group or groups. This paper reflects my experiences, speculations, and documentation only.

My Personal Experiences With PBFDV

October 20,1999

By Sharon R. Casmier Funded by Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma Washington And the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Introduction

I became interested in birds at an early age. When I was eleven years old my mother gave me a blue budgerigar as a gift. I named him Eddie. He was my best friend for years and the flame that lit the fire for my love of the parrot species.
Years later I became equally fascinated with canaries and finches and in my mid- twenties I took my first steps towards breeding them with some limited success and much excitement. In August 1980 I purchased my first cockatiel and a few months later my husband gave me a grey-cheeked parakeet for Christmas. We both were hooked from that point on and often joked that we had joined the "Bird of the Month Club". Our condo was soon filled with canaries, finches, cockatiel, and grey- cheeked parakeets.
My cockatiels breed for the first time and immediately began plucking and biting their new chicks. As a nervous "mother" I was forced to hand feed them or let the parents kill them. I had no other options. The experience was so awesome that I just had to continue. I began purchasing more and more parrots, eventually owning as pets and breeders, sun conures, amazons, African greys, eclectus and macaws. We sold the condo and moved to a wooded acreage and began building aviaries to house the breeding pairs of birds.
I purchased my first red lories in 1986 and was so enchanted that I started specializing in them in 1987. Eventually I kept twelve different species for a number of years. Slowly I sold off most of the other parrots species until all that remained were one pair of pet eclectus, my pet amazon, and the lories.
A New Focus In Lory Keeping
In 1998 I became a private contractor for the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Part of my responsibilities were to provide them with lories for their seasonal summer exhibit opening in May of 1998 and closing October of 1998.The birds were to be housed at my aviaries during the off season.
This was a difficult decision as it meant I would have to sell all of my breeders in order to care for the zoo's lories during the months of October through April. The birds would return to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium exhibit each May of the following year. Considering that I had not purchased any new breeding stock for over five years and was in the processes of down sizing, it seemed like a good time to change my focus. I could not pass up the opportunity to learn more about lories in the setting this exhibit would provide. I was certain that I would have a lot to learn and was anxious for the challenge. I would not be disappointed. I would have many challenges and learning experiences from that day forward.
A New Adventure Begins
I ordered the first group of birds in late January and decided they would be held in Quarantine Area # 1, the recreation room and attached 1/2 bath that had been converted into bird nursery, located on lower floor of my split-level home. (Basement area)
The first group would be arriving in early February and I wanted everything to be perfect. I had not used the nursery since August of 1997 so in January I grabbed the disinfectant, brooms and mobs and began cleaning and refreshing the room and brooders. All of my brooders were disinfected with Roccal D. I even bought new towels to cover the bottoms. I eagerly waxed the floors and washed the windows inside and out and hung newly washed and ironed curtains. You would have thought I was expecting my first child. The nursery looked brand new and squeaky-clean!
February 13, 1999 I received the first lories from breeder A
1-edwards lorikeet 2-swainson's lorikeets 1- red lory 1-black-capped lory 2- ornates lorikeets
When I removed them from the shipping crate it was obvious the ornate lorikeets were missing their primaries. I inspected the crate and found dozens of shed feathers. The one red lory and black capped were both stressed and vomiting and none of the birds would eat for me. They had a rough shipment and handling by the airlines but I was certain things would be better in the morning. Unfortunately, that would not be the case.
All of the birds were visually sick and stressed. The red lory was thin and, on closer inspection, appeared to have candidia. Cultures would later confirm that all of the birds were suffering bacterial infections as well. The red lory died on February 22nd, nine days after arrival, and was taken in for post-mortem on February 23rd
I sold two pairs of Swainson's lorikeets. One pair was on eggs when they had to be shipped to the buyer. These eggs were placed in the incubator in my dining room to hatch in Quarantine Area #2 on the 2nd floor of my split-level home. They hatched on February 14th and 15th, one day after the arrival of the birds purchased from breeder A.
On March 7, 1998 Breeder B arrived to deliver:
1-yellow-streaked lory
2- blue-headed lorikeets
These birds were placed in quarantine area # 3, the upstairs extra bedroom on the 3rd floor level of our home. Breeder B had also purchased my pair of proven black-capped lories that hatched two chicks on February 21, 1998 and February 22, 1998. These chicks were placed in quarantine area # 2, the dining room in a closed brooder for hand rearing.
On March 8, 1998, Breeder # C delivered:
1- Duyvenbode lory
This bird was also quarantined in Area # 3
On March 9, 1998 I received the post-mortem and histopathology report on the red lory, further testing found the bird positive for PBFDV. Panic set in. I was devastated. The timing could not have been worse! With this first group of birds I contracted the first virus I had ever gotten in my nineteen years of bird keeping. The why me, why now mentality nearly drove me crazy!
I decided to get these birds out of the house immediately. I removed the two eclectus from the small heated aviary in my back yard and spent several days cleaning and disinfecting this area before moving in the birds I had purchased from breeder A. (A few weeks later I returned the birds to the breeder.)
The zoo's veterinarian, Holly Reed, DVM, began testing these birds for Chlaymdia and PBFD, checked them for parasites, did bacterial cultures as well as CBC panels. The results were not returned until April 15, 1998 and all birds except the edward's lorikeet were positive for the virus. Environmental testing was done on quarantine areas #1, #2, #3, including the furnace and ductwork system, prior to any cleaning attempts. Surprisingly, area #3 where the birds were actively shedding the virus was found negative for PBFD. All other areas of my home were negative as well.
I decided to strip and clean quarantine area #1 where these birds had been and hired a furnace and heating ducts service to clean my heating system as a precaution. The test results had been negative prior to cleaning however, I did not want to risk it.
Everything was removed and taken outside. Quarantine Area #1, the down stairs, was vacant. The walls and linoleum floors were washed with anti-bacterial detergent then rinsed with clean water and disinfected with bleach. All of the bedding, brooders, curtains, and even the light bulbs were unscrewed and disinfected. The tables that the brooders sat on were turned upside down and every inch was bleached with full strength Clorox. The brooders were disinfected with Roccal D. The air cleaner unit that had been in the room was thrown in the dump for fear that it might harbor the virus. The windows were left open for days to air out the smell of Clorox and other disinfectants. The room was tested for the virus and found negative a second time. The birds in quarantine area # 3 were taken downstairs to the nursery, quarantine area # 1. Then the upstairs quarantine area # 3 was disinfected and the carpet cleaned as well. Total costs for cleaning came to a little over $400.
On April 7, 1998 breeder B delivered:
1-edward's lorikeet
1-green-naped lorikeet
3-red lories
These birds were placed in the upstairs quarantine area # 3 that had just been cleaned.
Breeder B also purchased the last proven pairs of my lories. Two pairs were on eggs and I placed them in the incubator in quarantine area #2, my dining room. They hatched April 14th and 16th. They remained in this area for weeks in a closed brooder for handfeeding.
On April 14, 1998 all birds purchased from breeder B and C, as well as my own baby swainson's and black-capped lories, were taken in to Dr. Holly.
Complete examination and testing for PBFDV, Chlamydia, bacterial cultures and laboratory tests for parasites was done. These birds had previously received their 1st vaccines for polyoma. We received verbal results on April 20, 1998. Written results were received on April 24, 1998. They were all found negative for PBFDV and chlamydia.
With a sigh of relief the older yellow-streaked lory, duyvendode's lory and the two blue-headed lorikeets were taken outside to the vacant lory aviary. All of the younger birds, found negative for viruses, were taken to the nursery in quarantine area #1.
On April 19,1998 one of the red lories delivered on April 7th died during the night. Dread set in once more. This bird was taken in for post-mortem and results returned to us on April 29th, the pathologist found this bird had died from polyomavirus. PBFDV was not identified. The bird had received its first vaccine for polyoma but died before the 2nd vaccine was due.
On April 23, 1998, nine days after blood samples were sent in for testing and found negative by the laboratory, my two black-capped lories and one of my swainson's lorikeets shed flight and tail feathers within a 10-hour period of time! I was shocked! How could this have happen? We had received verbal conformation by phone on April 20th and the written report on April 24, 1998 that these birds were negative for PBFDV. Unfortunately, I never got an answer from the laboratory that explained why these results were negative when the birds obviously must have been positive for PBFD at the time blood samples were drawn.
On April 27, 1999, in tears, I took these birds to Dr. Holly to be tested a second time. On May 5th, the same laboratory that had done the original samples returned the results as positive. By now this did not come as a surprise. I was now familiar with the appearance of this disease!
On April 29, 1999 I consulted with another veterinarian. Although we had been considering euthanasia, it was decided she would take these birds, as she was interested in documenting the case. The following were entrusted to her care:
2-Swainson's lorikeets 2-Black-capped lories 1-Duyvenbodes lory 2-Blue-headed lorikeets 1-Yellow-streaked lory 1-Green-naped lorikeet 1-Edward's lorikeet 2- Red lories
plus the two neonatal chicks that had just hatched, my last swainson's and a red lory which were only 15 and 17 days old.
I cannot explain my feelings at that time. To say that I was discouraged is not enough. The lorikeet exhibit had been scheduled to open at the end of May 1998, and I no longer had any lories. This set of circumstances delivered a crushing blow to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, their curator Brian Joseph, DVM and their veterinarian Holly Reed, DVM and myself.
Up date on the above listed birds:
On October 12, 1999 I talked to the veterinarian who took the lories for research. These birds were tested a second time on October 16, 1998, last year, and again 90 days after that. All of the birds that had previously tested positive for the virus in April of 1998 are now negative. The ones that had been negative when she received them eventually all became positive for PBFDV. It is assumed that they are in regression at the current time. All of the birds that had lost primaries have now replaced both flight and tail feathers and are in perfect feather condition. The one red lory and one swainson's that had been neonatal chicks when she received them were also eventually tested and found negative, they never developed the virus. Out of the original group of fourteen birds only seven have survived to date.
Several birds were lost due to death. Of the seven that died, one yellow-streaked, one duyvenbode's, one edwards's, one red, one green-naped and one blue-headed lorikeet died due to sepsis, which could be due in part to the immunosuppressive effects of PBFD. Another red lory was found strangled in a toy. This bird had previously been positive for PBFDV, but on October 16, 1998 its second test was negative, so the bird was thought to be recovering. However, upon post-mortem exam the pathologist found PBFDV in the kidney, spleen, and bursa.
It is interesting to note that out of the seven surviving birds six of them were all of my chicks. All of these birds had been hatched in my incubator and hand feed from day one except the two black-capped lories that were pulled from the adults and hand feed from 14 and 16 days of age. All of the older chicks including three that were weaned when they were exposed to the virus were the ones that died. You would have expected that it would have been just the opposite.
Round Two- Decontamination of My Home
By now I was totally paranoid! I was seeing virus dust every where I looked. I was in tears constantly and could not sleep. I can only compare it to having fleas. Once you discover them you can't stop scratching.
The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium authorized total cleaning of my home. I called a professional house keeping service, a commercial carpet cleaner, and another furnace and ductwork cleaning service.
People swarmed through my home with every disinfectant known to man and science. All furniture, pictures, bedding, curtains, houseplants, books, and decorative items were removed to my out door deck. Walls were either scrubbed down or painted. Every room in my house was gutted out. Beds and mattresses were lifted off the floor and the carpets and all upholstered furniture then steam cleaned. Moldings, light fixtures, and even the wood beamed ceilings were disinfected. The ceiling and walls in the nursery down stairs were completely painted. All of the brooders were removed and discarded. Brooder towels were thrown away. Any shoes worn by husband and myself were thrown in the garbage. Every nook and cranny was found and inspected then disinfected. It was a process that took nearly a week to complete.
Once finished we did environmental testing and the results came back negative. Even without the testing to prove it I felt very comfortable that this virus was defrayed or at least disabled. We had done everything we could to tackle this virus. Nothing left in the environment could be viable or effective after the war of disinfectants that were used. One of my bird friends thought it was an over kill. I was through with self -pity�I was angry now! This show would go on!
At this point total costs were $2,700 and were shared by the Point Defiance Zoo and myself.
Starting Over Again at the Last Minute
I was lucky to locate new breeders able to supply me with older weaned birds in time for the opening of the exhibit, which was now delayed until June 28, 1998.
We settled for 24 birds and quarantined each of the four groups in outdoor areas isolated from each other. Hospital gowns, gloves, and shower caps were used when handling the birds and foot bathes placed at the entrance of each quarantine area. Dr. Holly rolled up her sleeves and testing was resumed. This time all birds were found negative.
Birds purchased:
From breeder D & E and shipped together. (All though it turned out okay at that time. I would no longer consider it wise to ship birds from two different breeders in the same shipment.)
2- black lories
2- dusky lories
From breeder F:
2- blue-streaked lories
2- duyvenbode lories
2- yellow-streaked lories
From breeder G:
3-forstens lorikeets
2-green-naped lorikeets
1-ornate lorikeet
1-edward's lorikeet
From breeder H
4-swainson's lorikeets
2-green-naped lorikeets
1-blue-streaked lorikeet
It had been a frustrating, time consuming, and expensive start but the exhibit opened and was a raving success. Dr. Holly and I had the pleasure of releasing the first birds�We laughed, we hugged, we celebrated, we were proud! We had fought a hard battle but we came out winners not quitters!
My only concern at this time was the female black lory. She began molting out a few flight and tail feathers in May of 1998 and throughout the summer molted out breast and body feathers as well. By the end of the summer she had replaced all molted feathers with new bright red ones! By December of 1998 she was more red than black. This bird had been tested two times for PBFDV by two different laboratories and found negative both times so I began to search for other reasons for this red feather condition.
I called a number of breeders and sent several pictures out to them. Most said it was not unusual for black lories to have a few red feathers which they would replace around one year of age. Others thought I had a hybrid, or mutation, several even thought it might be a rajah lory. There was much discussion of this interesting black lory. I made contact with a veterinarian at a university doing research on viruses in psittacines. I forwarded him three photographs of this female black lory and we discussed her case history at length. He felt that these photographs did not indicated that this bird was infected with PBFDV, her feather condition was perfect (other than the amount of red feathers) at the time these pictures were taken in December. He felt the red feathering was not scruffy or abnormal in appearance as seen in most PBFDV cases nor was she missing any primaries. By March of 1999 I was becoming increasingly concerned about her brilliant red appearance.
The season ended on September 28, 1998. I collected the birds and returned them to my aviaries for the winter. With a sigh of relief I tossed worries aside and enjoyed the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. When the New Year arrived I began planning the opening of the exhibit for the 1999 season. It would be bigger and better this year. We would have 50 birds from twelve species. Everything would be perfect!
The New Year - Arrival of More Problems
This year would be different. I would be ordering birds between the ages of 9 months and 1 1/2 years of age. The goal was to find mates for the birds that were used in the exhibit from the previous year. We would set up a breeding program from healthy stock and I would go back to being a closed aviary. This was the only safe way to protect the birds and the zoo's investment. I never wanted a repeat of what had happened in 1998.
I had set up two new outdoor quarantine areas that were bleached and cleaned prior to ordering new lories. Everything was done in advance and I located well-known and respected breeders that could supply me with the species and sexes I needed. I was confident that there would be no problems. All birds would be tested and quarantined under strict procedures for 60 days. Out came the foot bathes, hospital gowns, gloves and shower caps.
The first birds arrived on March 3, 1999 from breeder I & J and shipped together. They were quarantined in area # 4, a small building in the front yard. *** In hindsight it is not a good idea to share a shipment from two separate breeders or to quarantine birds together that are not from the same aviary. I put these birds at serious risk by trying to save money on airline shipping charges. It did work out, however it became necessary to medicate all of the birds that would not have otherwise needed to be treated because of exposure to one of the birds that had chlamydia. I now learned a valuable lesson in this case that I am not likely to forget. ***
1-female dusky lory
1-female duyvenbode lory
1-female ornate lorikeet
1-male duyvenbode lory
1-female green-naped lorikeet
On March 9, 1999 they were taken to Point Defiance Zoo and tested for PBFD, chlamydia, parasites and pathogenic bacteria. All birds were given their 1st vaccines for polyomavirus. I had a hunch that the green-naped sent to me as a female was actually a male so we drew blood for sexing. My guess was correct. Complete blood panels were done and results were returned on March 16, 1999. The female duyvenbode lory was positive for chlamydia! The other four birds were negative for Chlamydia and all five were negative for PBFDV. It was recommended that we treat the four negative birds for chlamydia due to their exposure. Breeder (I ) was unable to accept the return of the green-naped lorikeet or the positive duyvenbode when I wanted to ship them back to him. I began medication on all birds for a 45-day period. His birds were still being medicated when I shipped them back to him. He continued treatment when he received them. Because of the exposure to the building, plus the fact that these birds would have to be held in this area for at least 90 days and then tested, this building was permanently off limits to any other birds.
This first shipment of lories had already set back my plans for 90 days and one quarantine building was now contaminated for the rest of the season! Things were already headed down hill and fast.
April 3, 1999 I received the second shipment of birds from breeder D, whom I had purchased from the previous year. These birds were quarantined in areas # 5 and # 6 next to the eclectus building in two large outdoor covered flights.
2-dusky lories
1- forsten's lorikee
t 2-green-naped lorikeet
2- blue-headed lorikeets 1-yellow-streaked lory
2- swainson's lorikeets
l- blue-streaked lory
The birds were tested for PBFDV, chlamydia, and parasites and cultured for bacteria, CBC panels were also done, and they were given their 1st polyoma vaccines. They were found negative for disease and would remain quarantined for an additional sixty days and tested a second time. At this point we felt it was necessary to test every bird on the property two times as we feared we were receiving some false negative test results.
In mid- March and almost over night and with out warning, three flight cages in the lory building, area # 7, erupted into full aggression! This is the building where the twenty-four birds from the 1998 exhibit were being housed. Flight cage A contained three forsten's, one edward's and one ornate lorikeet. Flight cage B held two duyvenbode's and two yellow-streaked. Flight cage C held the two duskies, two blue-streaked and two black lories. These birds had been kept together since returning to my aviaries in September 1998. They had remained compatible until the current time.
They were now displaying and having mock fights with the lories on either side of them. Wings and tail feathers flared in battle as they hung from the wire of the flight cages thrashing at each other. The fighting between these groups of birds left wings and tail feathers frayed and broken. The screaming was deafening! At first all of the aggression was directed at the birds in opposite cages but within a few weeks they turned on each other and a few days after that one of the female forsten's and the only ornate were injured. These two birds were rescued and caged separately. A day later the female black lory (with red feathers) became a victim. I separated the duskies into their own cage and the blue-streaks to a different one. A day or so after that I had to separate the yellow-streaked and duyvenbode's lories from each other. This group of birds were alternated in flights separated by pairs of swainson's and green-napes. I thought that this would quiet them down. However, they still became frantic during times I entered the building for feeding and cleaning. I remembered hearing birds instinctively knew when there was a problem and they would try to drive other birds out of their territory if they felt threatened. (But just what was their problem?)
On April 1, 1999 I knew in one glance what the answer was. The female duyvenbode and the female forsten that had been injured in March had lost all of their flight and tail feathers! I also remembered some of the behaviors I had witnessed with the PBFD birds from the previous year. They became almost psychotic, antisocial and even displayed tremors and twitching behavior and tried to take flight or hide from me when I approached. It was as if they were disconnected mentally or had schizophrenia. Only this time I recognized it as a symptom of PBFDV! It was Saturday morning. I reluctantly picked up the telephone and called Dr. Holly at her home and asked if I could bring some of the birds into her on Monday to be tested for PBFDV. I told her without a shadow of doubt that I was positive that they had broken with the virus!
The test results were returned on April 16, 1999 and confirmed my suspicions. The female black lory with red feathering, the female duyvenbode, the female forsten's missing flight and tail feathers and its sibling, which was in perfect feather condition and health, were all positive for the virus.
On April 24, 1999 one of the blue-streaked lories died and was taken for post-mortem. This bird had no feather abnormalities or visual sign of ill health. He was in perfect feather and appeared in good spirits two days prior to his spontaneous death following a brief illness and period of vomiting. We did not have the time to complete testing on him before his death. His post-mortem found lesions indicative of an immunosuppressive infection such as a circovirus infection. The bursa could not be located. Tissue sections were positive for PBFD viral nucleic acid in sections of crop, proventriculus, small intestine and pancreas. The procedure was negative for polyomavirus, adenovirus, and Pacheco's herpesvirus.
A couple of times during the examination and testing process we received test results that puzzled us. On some occasions a bird would show a loss of primaries or tail feathers, feathers with numerous stress bars or moth eaten appearance and abnormal feathering. Although we were relieved to find the blood work indicating a negative status, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to believe it. To double-check ourselves we took duplicate samples and sent them to a couple of different laboratories. We found only one laboratory could detect the PBFDV infecting a few of our birds. Because our PBFD birds had been confirmed at necropsy or feather follical biopsy, we felt confident submitting samples for PBFDV testing to that lab exclusively.
At this point I was numb, I couldn't even muster up real tears. I resigned myself to a wasted summer and lots of hard work. I sat down for several hours in total silence and devised a plan. I must attempt to rescue the remaining lories from the contaminated building and quarantine them outside in-groups isolated from each other. They would then have to be tested in hopes at least a few of them had avoided infection. I contacted Dr. Holly immediately and we discussed these plans. She agreed and the next morning my husband and I started catching up one flight cage of birds at a time. It was time consuming and back breaking work. In an effort to isolate and protect birds from any further exposure they had to be removed from the building and placed outside in make shift quarantine areas protected only by tarps tied to their cages. We prayed for good weather. The building was then abandoned with the exception of the four birds that were positive for the virus.
Each group of birds was then taken in to Dr. Holly for testing. Several weeks later all of the results were returned. These birds were negative! They would remain quarantined in the same locations for an addition 60 days and tested again to make sure they had not harbored the virus undetected by previous tests. The second testing was done and thankful found negative once again. We had done it! These birds were safe to return to the exhibit.
It was April and the exhibit was due to open at the end of May. I was under contract to provide the zoo with fifty birds for the opening of this year's exhibit. With all the recent developments I needed more birds and lots of help and understanding. I called several breeders and explained my predicament and asked for their help. They were aware of the outbreak for Chlamydia and PBFDV and knew I had no quarantine areas left. They agreed to test and hold their birds for me pending results. Point Defiance Zoo would pay for their veterinarian expenses.
I purchased more birds from breeder F who had supplied birds to us for last year's exhibit. She was more than supportive and agreed to test the following birds:
2- violet necked lories
1- edward's lorikeet
1- blue-streaked lory
Breeder K tested and provided us with:
2- green-napped lorikeets
Breeder L tested and provided us with:
1- ornate lorikeet
Breeder M, tested and provided us with:
3- blue-streaked lories
1- dusky lory
Breeder N, tested and provided us with: 2-swainson's lorikeets
Eventually they were shipped after the results from their tests came back negative for disease. They were then held in quarantine for an additional 30 days after arrival and tested by Dr. Holly and found negative a second time.
The exhibit opened on time with eighteen of the promised birds. The rest of the birds would be released in a staggered fashion as test results were returned. Slowly each group was found negative then taken to the exhibit. The last birds were released the end of June 1999, for a total of 47 lories and lorikeets.
I could not have accomplished this without the cooperation of the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and Dr. Holly Reed's dedication and devotion and unrelenting hard work.
I am also thankful for the help that these breeders provided me and the way they rallied to my rescue. When my chips were down these people did not disappoint me. I shall always be grateful for the friends I made during the last two years of incredible bad luck! This has proved to me, no matter how bad the situation there are always good people who are willing to help. Dr. Holly and I appreciate those breeders who were flexible enough to work with us in solving this problem (waging the war). Their willingness to test and hold birds until space opened up in our quarantine areas ensured the health and well being of those birds waiting to be released in the exhibit. These efforts allowed us to once again open our exhibit and continue to educate and delight zoo visitors. I must also add that these lories were delighted as well!
Dr. Holly was available for the grand event and we both had the pleasure of releasing the first groups. I just wish all of the breeders could have been with us when crates were opened and the lories fluttered out on full wings! The birds burst from the starting gate screaming and squawking in excitement! They circled the exhibit several times prior to landing, then bobbed up and down flapping their wings in exhilaration. Chills tingled up my spine as I absorbed their outburst of delirium. Their fever of excitement trilled me beyond words. This was my reward!
Now the Real Works Gets Started!
Outside of burning down both buildings, just where does one start the task of decontaminating the mess left behind from disease?
I sat alone on a bench in front of the building for the first week, just watching the four lories infected by this virus. Their joyful spirits had returned and they busied themselves reaching through the wire to grab a hold of a branch from the passionflower vine that was now beginning to bloom. I held back tears as I watched them play. These once beautiful creatures were now living on borrowed time. The blooms of passionflower and bougainvillea were all that remained of a dream I had cherished all these years, a safe and healthy environment for my birds. I felt as if I had failed these birds and doomed them to an early death. I was unable to protect them from this devastating disease!
I have always been a romantic dreamer but life is not a fairy tale. How could I save my dreams? Was it even worth the effort? It took me weeks before I could gather the strength to even begin. I hated to burden my husband with the responsibility of spending the whole summer slaving a way on a dream that might be better destroyed with a flame from a match.
It would be difficult but it could be done. I talked it over with my husband and we began making plans. The fiberglass roof would have to be removed and disposed of as there was no other way to paint the support beams or disinfect the 40 feet of roofing material. The sand and gravel floor would have to be covered with a new concrete slab. It would be impossible to eradicate the dust and virus from dirt. We would have to hire a professional concrete contractor and a truck equipped with a pump to deliver the concrete across the front yard. The forced air oil furnace and ductwork would have to be removed from the building and replaced.
The huge passionflower vine and bougainvillea that were a decade old with trunks the size of trees and branches that covered the 40-foot length of the building would have to be removed. Sadly, the birds would never enjoy the flowers or the honey dew nectar that dropped like rain from the ripe blossoms. It would be a small price to pay for rescuing my dreams and returning the lories to a safe environment.
Once these things had been accomplished the rest would require hours of time and energy. The seven-foot long, six-foot tall, three-foot wide flight cages would have to be moved outside and cleaned. A pressure washer would be needed to wash down the walls inside and out and all of the support beams before painting could begin. We would have to seal the beams with an oil base sealer, and then cover that with two coats of exterior paint. Forty feet of 2x4's and 4x6's would be a lot of sides and edges to paint. ***This actually took us 3 weeks alone to complete***
We collected bids from several contractors and my husband arranged for a two-week vacation to prepare the site for them. The concrete floor was poured on July 26th, 1999. Painting started two days later and then came to a screeching halt during continuing thunder and lighting storms that wash off the first coat of paint from the rafters and support beams. The whole job would have to be done over again, now we would have to paint four coats instead of the three we had planned. The paint had dripped all over the new concrete and a whole day would be spent on hands and knees with sand-paper, steel wool and a wire brush and paint thinner. I took pity on poor Richard and did this work myself. Even then it was impossible to remove all of it as it had adhered to the concrete and would not budge. Once the paint had dried on the roof area, I started the walls while Richard began replacing the old fiberglass roof with a newer and clearer polycarbonate corrugated sheeting. Once the walls were finished, I applied a heavy coat of concrete sealer to the new floor and concrete blocks that supported the cages.
The month of August disappeared before our eyes like thin air. The building was weeks away from being finished. The furnace was not replaced in the building until the end of September.
The exhibit was due to close on September 30th! I had no building to bring the bird's home to. We rushed around and set up temporary quarantine areas in several of the out door flights that were used by my bali mynahs. The bali's were locked inside their building.
The small building in the front yard was weeks away from even being looked at, let alone started. It would require the same kind of refinishing as the lory building.
Environmental samples were done on the lory building on September 23rd; the results came back the following week. PBFDV was identified on the light fixtures, and the sliding door tract and the furnace, which was still sitting in the middle of the yard. Although the furnace had not been disinfected, it had sat outside from May through September and had endured thunder and lighting storms, sunshine and wind and dozens of rainstorms. Summer in Washington State did not exist in 1999; it was the wettest year on record. Despite this treatment the virus clung to the outside walls of the metal exterior. The testing done on the newly painted walls, cracks and crevices and the concrete floor came back negative.
I drug out my hose end sprayer, 5 quarts of antibacterial soap and 5 gallons of bleach and attacked the furnace and the interior of the building with a vengeance. The wall fixtures, door track and the entire concrete floor, as well as the furnace still sitting in the yard were doused with straight anti- bacterial soap and left to dry over night. Early the next morning I hosed it down with a pressure washer. It took almost two hours before the suds could be washed away. For good measure I waited until every thing dried in the sun then repeated the process with 5 gallons of straight bleach! The bleach was also left to dry over night then the pressure washing was repeated the following morning.
The next thing to tackle was the flight cages. They had been cleaned and disinfected once when first removed from the building and had sat out side from May until the end of September. I did not want to take any chances of them failing environmental testing. The sprayer was used to apply 10 gallons of bleach before they would even be moved inside the building. This bleach was not hosed off for days. The cages were moved back into the building and more cleaning was continued. First pressure washing with clear water. Then out came the anti-bacterial soap spray left to dry over night. More spraying the next morning until all the suds were washed down the drain followed by another 10 gallons of bleach which was once again left to dry over night before a repeated rinsing. The finishing touches were the purchase of all new dowel perches for the flight cages.
Finally, out came the environmental swabs and the entire cages, furnace, fixtures and door tract were tested a finally time. A week later the results were in. The building and cages were negative and safe at last!
Work was finally started on the other building in the front yard. Rather than type several more pages I will just say ditto to the above treatment done on the lory building.
Estimated costs of repairs and decontamination shared by the Point Defiance Zoo and myself are close to $7,500 or more at the current time. There is still many things left to purchase and complete. Personal time in hours shared by my husband and myself, 830 hours and still counting. (Every day off, personal vacation time and weekends plus many weekday evenings after we returned home from our jobs)
I do not have a figure on how much the veterinarian care and laboratory cost are to date. I can only guess that it must be overwhelming! I am more than fortunate that I had the zoo behind me or I would have lost the farm so to speak.
We Are Not Done Yet
My husband had been caring for the four active birds all summer. I did not want to make physical contact with them for fear of transporting the virus on hands, clothing or shoes to the exhibit birds. With the arrival of August it was time to recheck the status of the disease. I scheduled an appointment to take them in for more blood work. Samples were collected and shipped to the laboratory. The results were still positive. The painful decision to put them down was our only option.
I assisted with the procedure so the birds would feel more secure in my presence. We arranged the procedure so we could obtain fresh samples of blood. The birds would then be packed on ice immediately. I drove them directly to the pathologist who collected the tissue samples for examination. We wanted to get as much information from these birds as possible. Some samples would be frozen to give us other options at a later time.
We also decided that we would test every exhibit bird one more time before they were allowed back into the restored buildings just to be on the safe side. We had come to far too take a chance on recontamination. Mid-September we began removing groups of birds from the exhibit and taking final blood sample. These birds would be quarantined pending results, and then caged in my aviaries as the results came back. This was a long processes but worth it for peace of mind. The results were negative for all of the lories. Dr. Holly and I both agree we probably have the safest birds in the United States at the moment!
At the current time all of the lories are at my home. Some are still in temporary caging areas awaiting the completion of the smaller of the two-lory aviaries. We are still hard at work finishing last minute details and hanging permanent cages for the winter months.
Basic Information and opinions collected from conversations with research laboratories and consultations with veterinarians.
Psittacine Beak and Feather disease is a pathogenic virus of birds and has been placed in the family called Circoviridae. In the aviary it is transmitted by feces, regurgitation of food between mates and chicks, mutual preening behavior and breathing of feather dust. Other sources of exposure may be contaminated feather dust found in homes, cars and airplanes. Public places and events such as bird fairs, pet stores and in some cases veterinarian offices can also be a source of exposure. It can be carried from one aviary to another by means of hair, hands, clothing, shoes, cages, water bowls and etc.
Minimum incubation time is thought to be 21-25 days. The birds can shed the virus intermittently for months or years. The birds may not show any symptoms and may remain in perfect feather condition.
There has been much speculation among breeders and even some veterinarians that lories can spontaneously recover from PBFDV. However this has not yet been documented in the United States. It is just now coming to the attention of lory breeders and attempts are now being made to do just that. The veterinarian that rescued the group of fourteen lories is in the process of documenting them. The medical histories and pages of documents and tests done on the lories purchased by The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and collected by Dr. Holly Reed has intrigued and caught the attention of many of her peers. We feel that if enough lory breeders would become involved and come forward with their personal experiences and documentation of PBFDV much more could be learned to benefit this effort.
Some speculations I have heard mentioned are:
1- Lories are capable of recovering from the disease and thought to be protected from a repeat exposure.
2- Older birds may not be come infected with the virus as their immune system is more developed.
3- Most birds contact and harbor the virus prior to or at fledging.
4- After fledging the bursa is closed and protects them from infection.
5- The virus seems to be stable in the environment for years.
As mentioned above, all of these assumptions have no documentation at the present time.
Research laboratories and veterinarians do not necessarily agree on the methods available for testing. Many individuals reported to me that there was a high rate of false negative and false positive results depending on what method was used.
Some of the methods used for collecting samples are:
1- Surgically removing blood feather and follicle or abnormal appearing feather and surrounding tissue.
2- Pulling blood feather.
3- Taking blood from toenail.
4- Whole, anticoagulated blood, collected by venipuncture.
Recently I have been hearing about a new method of collecting molted body feathers or pulling out a few breast feathers. There may be other methods of which I am unaware.
Random Thoughts
Within the last few years there has been a number of zoo's opening interactive exhibits and the fad seems to have caught on. I'm aware of five new exhibits that opened in 1998, at least four more in 1999, and others are scheduled to open next year. When I started calling to locate birds for the Point Defiance Zoo, the competition was fierce. I am not exaggerating when I say I must have contacted at least sixty breeders, large and small. At many times I was referred on to other breeders, the same names kept popping up.
We are a small group. Someone in California can buy birds in Florida and turn around in two months and sell off his collection to four or five difference states. These birds are very mobile and if you have a large collection of sixty or more pairs, your stock probably contains birds from a number of breeders. Add to this mix, jobbers, and private contractors such as myself and birds start coming in one door and out the other. This sits up a dangerous situation for everyone involved.
For years veterinarians have offered advice about quarantine, testing, and closed aviary concepts. Now it is more important than ever to start listening. I purchased my first lories in 1986 and many other species prior to that time. The worse thing that ever effected my birds was common bacterial concerns. However from the very beginning I started vetting my birds, I automatically added an extra $100 or more to the cost of every bird I purchased and followed the quarantine procedures and advice from my personal veterinarians. I became confident it would never happen to me. I was a closed aviary for the last five or more years and took for granted my good luck. As you can see, as soon as I opened my doors my luck changed.
I tried to choose my breeders carefully and purchased from some of the best known and respected individuals in aviculture today. However, viruses don't care if you are the best or not. Along the way many cautioned me against this person or that. And dozens confessed to me their own experiences with this disease or other viruses. Many blamed the other breeder. Some had even gotten involved in lawsuits over various problems. Reputations can be on the line at any given moment.
I hope that some day we will be able to all work towards a common goal. The safety and good health of the birds that lead us to becoming breeders in the first place. We are our worse enemy after all. We owe it to our birds, fellow breeders and our selves to be more cooperative and helpful in over coming common problems.
There is nothing to be ashamed of if your aviary comes down with PBFD. You are not doomed! By sharing information and experiences we can all learn from one another and perhaps be part of the solution and not the problem. Which brings me back to Breeder A and the first shipment of birds. I could have reacted in anger and set out to destroy the good reputation of this breeder. I've seen it happen so many times before with other individuals. Instead, we cried on each other's shoulders and did the right thing. We shared our information, or personal veterinarian's advice and recommendations, tested our birds and tried to find a solution that would benefit and save the lives of our birds. By doing so we became friends not enemies. That is the reason I am talking to you today. I want to be a part of this solution. I appeal to all of you here today to join me in this effort.
My best recommendation at the current time is. Do not buy a bird from even your mother, unless you plan on following strict quarantine procedures combined with veterinarian testing. Investigate the laboratories and testing methods available. Initiate a closed aviary concept. Continue to learn through educating yourself and sharing with others what you have learned. Remember that we are not just buying each others 'birds', we are buying their diseases as well.
The reason I estimated costs and hours spent through out this paper is to give you some sort of idea how much a virus outbreak can cost you in birds, time, dollars and decontamination. It would be far better to spend that money up front when you purchase new birds than to have to spend a great deal of time and money in one lump sum and waste a whole summer in the process. I cannot put a value on the emotional time spent in tears and frustration. I can only state that I shall never forget all of the birds I lost. They have now become my "Feathered Angels" and my motivation to make a difference by sharing my experiences with you here today.