Dear cybercompanions,

I get Tweeters in digest form, so I apologize in advance if this query has
already been answered.

Kelly Mcallister <mcallkrm at dfw.wa.gov> wrote:

> Dear Tweeterites,
>
> Were there some messages posted in the past year or so on a disease or
> parasite or other pathology common in House Finches?
>
> Mr. Walter Dougherty has been observing House Finches at his feeder which
> exhibit deformities like tumorous growths near their eyes or on their
> throats. Some have twisted, crumpled feet. He believes that about 1
> out of every 8 finches have some kind of deformity. The deformed
> birds, in his estimation, are all juveniles, not yet sporting the red
> on the head.

The eye swellings that Mr. Dougherty reports does sound a lot like the
disease that has been widely reported in House Finches at feeders, caused
by the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum. I copy below a couple of
previous reports of this disease from the emerging diseases listserver
'Promed'.

Regards,
Tom Besser


***********************************************************************

MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM, FINCHES - USA (TEXAS)
===============================================


Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997
From: Dorothy Preslar <dpreslar at fas.org>
Source: WildlifeRehab List

See also: Mycoplasma gallisepticum - USA (2) 960702
Mycoplasma gallisepticum - USA: RFI 960628


The Central Texas Audubon Society president has received a report of house
finches at a feeder in Waco with swollen, encrusted faces and eyes. This
event is believed to be the first report of the avian mycoplasm (_Mycoplasma
gallisepticum_)in Texas.

Samples are being collected from the finch to send to Atlanta for DNA
analysis to determine if it is a western or eastern race of the finch. The
disease in wild songbirds was first reported on ProMED-mail in 1995.


MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM, FINCHES - USA (TEXAS) (02)
====================================================

[see
Mycoplasma gallisepticum, finches - USA (Texas) 970409102833

Subject: Update on Waco house finches

I talked to Nada Wareham, our local wildlife rehabber tonight, to determine
the status of our diseased house finches. She is picking up nets in the
morning and plans to swab samples from the finches Friday morning (unless we
are still under tornado watch). While I had originally understood she was
working with CDC, she is in fact working with Page Latrell at NWHC lab in
Madison. I had earlier provided her information on the lab from previous
visits to your website. She expects to send the cultures on Saturday so they
will be at the Madison lab on Monday.

The woman who first reported the problem at her Speegleville (a suburb of
Waco, Texas) feeder has described symptoms that fit to a t Mycoplasma
Conjunctivitis. Nada, who has previously worked with birds suffering from
Avian Pox, is very familiar with its traits. Based on her conversations with
this woman, Nada also believes the woman is describing MC.

The situation began several weeks ago. The woman reports that there were
about ten finches coming to her feeder and only several exhibited swelling
and crusting around their watery eyes. She noted they would wipe their eyes
all the time on the feeder. She is now down to just three or four finches
and Nada said she believes that all are exhibiting some of the MG symptoms.
In addition, one American Goldfinch is exhibiting signs of conjuctivitis.

---
E.G. White-Swift.................egws at flash.net............
TexBirds mail list owner
Central Texas Audubon Society field notes compiler


...........................................................
Thomas E. Besser Phone:(509)335-6075
WA Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab FAX: (509) 335-8529
Pullman WA 99164-7040 tbesser at vetmed.wsu.edu