Disease in captive wild mammals and birds : $b incidence, description, comparisonFox, Herbert
Science
Disease in captive wild mammals and birds : $b incidence, description, comparison
Fox, Herbert
Veterinary medicine
Among the Rodentia we have had anemias in a Beechy’s Gopher (_Citellus
grammurus beecheyi_) and a Southern (_Sciurus niger niger_) and Western
Fox Squirrel (_Sciurus rufiventer_). The first had a myeloma also, and
will be discussed later. One of the squirrels had osteomalacia, while
the other suffered with diarrhœa and showed hydropic degeneration of the
kidneys, conditions probably due to acute intoxication.
IN AVES.
The class Aves is represented by the orders Passeres, Psittaci, Columbæ,
Herodiones, Gaviæ, Picariæ, Striges, Galli and Accipitres; the first
four are well represented, but in the other orders only one or two cases
have occurred. The causes of anemia in birds are essentially those
discussed for mammals with the provision that greater attention must be
paid to parasites, particularly those of the blood. Several slightly
varying protozoa inhabit the blood corpuscles of birds, and numerous
embryos may circulate after they escape from a parent lying in some
organ or tissue. The rôle of blood parasites, intra- or
extracorpuscular, in the cause of death or of anemia is, however,
somewhat paradoxical. Plimmer seems to credit a heavy infestation with
great value in the cause of death. In the human being an infestation of
one cell in a hundred is a fair grade of malaria; such a relation is
apparently common in birds, and we have repeatedly seen a much heavier
seeding while Plimmer reports as many as 70 per cent. of the
erythrocytes to be carriers of hemogregarines (he has seen 92 per cent.
in reptiles). Can then the effect upon hemic function and vital
resistance be great? It has been our practice to interpret the finding
of circulating protozoa or of larval metazoa as merely reducing the
resistance of the birds so that they succumb more readily to incorrect
food, strange environment or infection.
It is perhaps well to show the state of our records in the Passeres by a
table.
Passeres—Secondary anemia associated with intestinal or visceral
parasites 11
blood parasites 9
intestinal inflammation 6
skeletal diseases and chronic infection (osseous) 3
nephritis 4
miscellaneous and unassociated anemias 8
(entries in this line not included under any
other heading)
Total cases 37
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