Occurrence: Worldwide. Species affected: Pigeons, doves, falcons (occasionally chickens and turkeys) Age affected: Growing.

Causes: Pear-shaped, flagellated protozoan- Trichomonas gallinae.

Effects: No specific signs, but lowered feed consumption, spitting up of feed, listlessness, ruffled feathers and emaciation, followed by death may be seen. The crop is distended and filled with fluid, the infected bird has difficulty swallowing, stretches its neck and drools a greenish-yellow fluid. Diarrhoea and a drop in egg production can occur.

Growing, chickens, turkeys, pigeons (canker in squabs), doves and falcons (frounce) are susceptible to this chronic disease. Although not common in commercial poultry. The agent involved in the aetiology of this disease is Trichomonas gallinae, which is a pear-shaped protozoan containing four flagella.

It is transmitted by consumption of insects, contaminated feed or water and by wild birds. Crop milk can transmit that organism from adult pigeon and doves to young by regurgitation of semi-digested food during feeding.

No specific signs occur, but include lowered feed consumption, spitting up of feed, high mortality, listless, ruffled feathers and emaciation.

A large crop filled with fluid, difficulty in swallowing, stretching of neck, drooling greenish to yellowish fluid. Diarrhoea (yellow and watery) and a drop in egg production can occur.

Cone-shaped lesions in the upper digestive tract (mouth, oesophagus and crop, pharynx, liver) proventriculus can occur.

A build up of caseous material may partially or totally occlude (block) the lumen of the oesophagus.

The clinical signs and gross lesions (mouth cankers) are characteristic. Histopathologist will demonstrate trichomonads in the lesions.

The organism should be identified from a scraping for a definitive diagnosis. It simulates thrush, T-2 Toxin, Wet Pox, Vitamin A deficiency and Chilomastix gallinarum.

Eliminate the insect or wild bird carriers.

Dimetridazole (0.05%), ipronidizole and nitrasone and effective treatments.

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