Isolation and Molecular Characterisation of Fungus Macrorhabdus ornithogaster in Pet Bird Breeding Flocks in Republic of Croatia

Infekcija gljivom iz skupine askomiceta Macrorhabdus ornithogaster, često nazvana megabakterija, uzrokuje izrazito tešku bolest u različitih vrsta ptica kućnih ljubimaca. Glavni izvor bolesti su zaražene ptice. Mnoge ptice nikad ne pokazuju znakove bolesti, ali zato konstantno šire uzročnika. Klinički znakovi ove bolesti su nespecifični i upućuju na kroničnu bolest. Kronična infekcija i upala žljezdanog želuca uzrokuje krvarenje u probavnom traktu, bezvoljnost i smrt. Uzročnik se fecesom širi na druge ptice. Iako se može dijagnosticirati na vrijeme, korištenje antimikotika ili antiseptika terapijski može biti upitno. Učestalost pojavljivanja megabakterioze u ptica kućnih ljubimaca u Hrvatskoj je visoka. Cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi učestalost ove gljivice u uzgajivača ptica i trgovinama za kućne ljubimce, odnosno na mjestima najveće stope prijenosa. Koristili su se DNA uzorci podrijetlom iz fecesa ptica čuvani u arhivi Zavoda. Feces se skupljao od ptica u uzgojima te ptica u trgovinama za kućne ljubimce u periodu od 2010. do 2015. godine. Rezultati su pokazali kako je sveukupno 22 (22,68%) uzorka bilo pozitivno na megabakteriju, od čega je 15 (15,4%) bilo od uzoraka dostavljenih iz trgovina za kućne ljubimce te 7 (7,2%) od uzgajivača ptica. Ovi rezultati samo su pokazatelj da ova bolest ima visoki stupanj rasprostranjenosti kako u uzgojima ptica tako i u trgovinama za kućne ljubimce. Upravo zbog tog visokog stupnja rasprostranjenosti potreban je stalan monitoring, bolja terapija, no naglasak je na poboljšanju biosigurnosnih mjera u trgovinama kućnih ljubimaca a naročito u uzgojima.Macrorhabdus ornithogaster, often referred to as megabacteria, is a fungal infection, causing extremely severe disease in various bird species. The main source of microorganism is infected bird. Many birds never show signs of disease but are constantly spreading agents. Clinical signs of this disease are nonspecific and point to chronic illness. Chronic infection and inflammation of the glandular stomach causes bleeding in the digestive tract, lethargy and death. The microorganism spreads via faeces to other birds. Although it can be diagnosed in time, the use of antimitotic or antiseptic in therapy may be questionable. The frequency of occurrence of the megabacteria in pet birds in Croatia is high. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of this fungus in pet bird breeding flocks and pet shops, places of the highest transfer rates. We used DNA samples isolated from the pet bird faeces stored at the archive of the Department. Faeces have been sampled from bird breeding flocks and pet stores in the period from 2010 to 2015. The results showed that 22 (22.68%) of 97 samples were positive for the Macrorhabdus ornithogaster, out of which 15 (15.4%) were samples delivered from pet stores and 7 (7.2%) from bird breeding flocks. These results indicate that this disease has a high incidence and possibility of spread both in bird breeding flocks and in pet stores. Due to this high level of distribution, constant monitoring and better therapy are needed, but the emphasis have to be on improving biosecurity measures in pet shops, and particularly in breeding flocks