Sullivan Patrick J, Ramsay Edward C, Greenacre Cheryl B, Cushing Andrew C, Zhu Xiaojuan, Jones Michael P
J Avian Med Surg. 2017 Jun;31(2):128-131. doi: 10.1647/2016-213.
Macrorhabdus ornithogaster is a yeast organism that infects multiple species of captive and wild birds. Diagnosis of infection in vivo has proven difficult historically, as shedding can be intermittent, and not all positive animals are clinically ill. We compared polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of cloacal swab samples and fecal Gram's stain (FGS) for diagnosis of active shedding of M ornithogaster in a captive flock of budgerigars ( Melopsittacus undulatus ). Of the 100 birds sampled, 57 (57%) were positive for M ornithogaster by PCR and 24 (24%) were positive for M ornithogaster by FGS. All FGS-tested birds also were positive on PCR. There was a significant association between the two methods, but the overall percent agreement for the two methods was only 67%. Based on these findings, cloacal swab PCR is more likely to diagnose the presence of M ornithogaster than FGS in budgerigars.
巨嗜鸟菌是一种可感染多种圈养及野生鸟类的酵母样生物。历史上，体内感染的诊断颇具难度，因为排菌可能是间歇性的，而且并非所有阳性动物都表现出临床症状。我们比较了泄殖腔拭子样本的聚合酶链反应（PCR）和粪便革兰氏染色（FGS），以诊断一群圈养虎皮鹦鹉（虎皮鹦鹉属）中巨嗜鸟菌的活跃排菌情况。在采样的100只鸟中，57只（57%）通过PCR检测为巨嗜鸟菌阳性，24只（24%）通过FGS检测为巨嗜鸟菌阳性。所有接受FGS检测的鸟在PCR检测中也呈阳性。两种方法之间存在显著关联，但两种方法的总体一致率仅为67%。基于这些发现，在虎皮鹦鹉中，泄殖腔拭子PCR比FGS更有可能诊断出巨嗜鸟菌的存在。
