| Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease is caused by a | | | | bird must be retested in 90 days for PsCV-1 and 180 |
| virus (Psittacine Circovirus) and in many ways is the | | | | days for PsCV-2. If the bird is still positive then, this |
| avian equivalent of the human AIDS virus. Birds | | | | indicates that the bird is either subclinically infected or |
| suffering from this disease can show abnormal | | | | that the bird is being repeatedly exposed to the |
| feather growth (known as feather dystrophy) and | | | | virus. Subclinically infected birds can develop feather |
| have necrosis of the beak - hence the name. The | | | | lesions at some future date. If the bird is negative |
| virus is capable of suppressing the bird's immune | | | | when retested, this indicates that the bird was |
| system to the point that they become debilitated | | | | transiently infected and that the bird's immune |
| and susceptible to secondary infections that | | | | system was able to clear the virus from the blood. |
| ultimately kill the bird. This is truly a devastating | | | | Birds with normal feathers that have cleared an |
| disease and is highly contagious. | | | | infection should be considered resistant to |
| Many birds infected with PsCV develop a transient | | | | subsequent infection and disease. Most birds that are |
| infection that the bird's immune response effectively | | | | exposed to the PsCV will have viral nucleic acid |
| clears. In birds that do not mount an effective | | | | present in their blood for a brief period. |
| immune response, disease can be sudden and | | | | If a bird with feather abnormalities is found to be |
| devastating or more chronic and insidious. Old World | | | | positive for PsCV 1, PsCV 2 or any variant of |
| parrots that become infected usually die, although | | | | circovirus, the bird should be removed from the area |
| some New World parrots that become infected will | | | | as quickly as possible. Virus-infected birds with |
| eventually recover. Infected Lories are usually less | | | | feather abnormalities shed large concentrations of |
| severely affected and can have feather | | | | virus in their feather dust which can be easily carried |
| abnormalities, but recover. | | | | to other birds by the wind or on clothes, skin or hair. |
| It is recommended by us that all birds be tested for | | | | All areas, supplies, and equipment that could be |
| PsCV. There are two types of Psittacine Circovirus, | | | | contaminated with feather dust should be repeatedly |
| PsCV 1 and PsCV 2. A bird infected with PsCV 2 has | | | | cleaned and disinfected. |
| a greater chance of recovery compared to those | | | | Birds that are recovering from PsCV will test |
| infected with PsCV 1. It should be noted that some | | | | negative for months before all of the affected |
| PsCV infected psittacines of South American descent | | | | feathers (the cells of which will retain PsCV until |
| have spontaneously recovered from the disease. | | | | molted) are replaced during the molting process with |
| A positive test in a bird with no feather abnormalities | | | | new uninfected feathers. As long as dystrophic |
| indicates that the bird has been exposed to PsCV | | | | feathers or their associated dust is present, the bird |
| and that viral nucleic acid is present in the blood. This | | | | should be considered infectious. |