Table 2. Pathological findings in the common blackbirds (Tm 1–12) and great grey owls (Sn 1–4) submitted, grouped by detected infectious agent(s), the Netherlands, 1 August–13 September.
Blackbird | Owl | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tm 1–3,5 | Tm 4,7,8,11,12 | Tm 6,9,10 | Sn 1–3 | Sn 4 | |
Infectious agent(s) detecteda | Only Plasmodium | Plasmodium and USUV | Only USUV | Plasmodium and USUV | Only USUV |
Gross lesions b,c | |||||
Hepatomegaly | 4/4 | 3/5 | 1/3 | 2/3 | 1/1 |
Splenomegaly | 4/4 | 4/5 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 1/1 |
Lung hyperaemia, oedema | 2/4 | 3/5 | 1/3 | 2/3 | 1/1 |
Heart abnormalities | 2/4 (1 haemopericardium, 1 pale) |
1/5 (1 pale) |
0/3 | 1/3 (1 hydropericardium) |
0/1 |
Skin by cloaca firm, crusty | 2/4 | 5/5 | 1/3 | 0/3 | 0/1 |
Feather abnormalities | 0/4 | 2/5 (1 rfsh, 1 blood pens) |
2/3 (2 featherless heads) |
0/3 | 0/1 |
Histological lesions b,c | |||||
Encephalitis | 0/3 | 2/4 (1 pvc, 1 gli/deg/pvc/swe) |
1/3 (1 pvc) |
0/3 | 1/1 (1 mix/gli) |
Myocardial degeneration | 0/4 | 1/5 | 1/3 | 0/3 | 1/1 |
Myocarditis | 3/4 (1 het, 2 lym, 1 pvc) |
3/5 (1 pvc/swe, 2 lym/int/ ± pvc) |
2/3 (1 lym, 1 nec) |
0/3 | 0/1 |
Pneumonia | 3/4 (3 mix) |
3/5 (2 lym/int, 1 mix) |
2/3 (2 lym/int) |
3/3 (2 het, 1 mix) |
1/1 (1 lym/int/nec) |
Kidney epithelial necrosis | 1/3 | 4/5 | 1/3 | 0/3 | 0/1 |
Hepatitis | 4/4 (4 mix) |
4/5 (4 mix ± nec) |
3/3 (1 lym/nec, 2 mix) |
2/2 (1 mix/nec, 1 het) |
1/1 (1 nec) |
Splenitis | 2/3 (2 mix) |
4/5 (3 mix, 1 nec) |
1/2 (1 lym/nec) |
3/3 (1 mix/nec, 2 nec) |
1/1 (1 nec) |
Haemosiderosis | 2/4 | 4/5 | 1/3 | 2/3 | 0/1 |
Skin cloaca dermatitis | 2/4 (2 mix) |
4/4 (2 mix, 2 lym) |
1/2 (1 lym) |
0/3 | 0/1 |
Deg: degeneration of white matter; gli: satellitosis, gliosis; het: heterophilic infiltrates; int: interstitial infection; lym: lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates (lymphocytes, plasma cells, histiocytes); mix: mixed infiltrates; nec: necrosis; pvc: perivascular cuffing; rfsh: retained feather shafts; Sn: Strix nebulosa; swe: endothelial cell swelling; Tm: Turdus merula; USUV: Usutu virus.
a Plasmodium infection was determined by cytology and histology, USUV infection by RT-PCR test on brain, spleen, heart and/or liver.
b Number of cases positive/total number of cases examined.
c Incidental findings included gastrointestinal worms in eight of 12 blackbirds and a mycotic infection in the glandular stomach of one owl.