Pet Bird Owner Training Tutorial

Chapter 2

A disease is a deviation from normal health. The effects of disease can range from loss of appetite, loss of energy and may result in death. Diseases can be contagious or non-contagious. Contagious diseases are caused by germs (microscopic pathogens) and can be divided into classes: virus, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Parasites can be internal or external. See what they look like under a microscope in the illustrations below:

External Parasites
Poultry Mite	Poultry Louse
Internal Parasites
Tape Worm	Protozoa can cause diseases such as: Coccidiosis, Blackhead
Round Worm	Microscopic fungi cause diseases such as: Aspergillosis, Mycotoxicosis, Moniliasis
Microscopic viruses cause diseases such as: Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease, Avian Pox, Infectious Bronchitis, Marek's Disease	Microscopic bacteria cause diseases such as: Mycoplasmosis, Fowl Cholera, Pullorum Disease, Fowl Typhoid, Botulism

One of the biggest obstacles to keeping germs away from birds is that we cannot see germs. To understand how small germs are, look at the head of this pin (1) as seen through a microscope (2). When we look close enough we can see how many germs can hide in just one very small place. Imagine how many germs are on our hands (3).

(1)

(2)

(3)

Sample Questions