Circovirus infection in a Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae)

Abstract

The bird examined was a 10-week-old female Gouldian finch (Chloebia gouldiae) from an aviary that had housed about 100 Gouldian finches, which had nasal discharge, dyspnoea, anorexia, depression and a very high mortality (50%) in both adult and young birds. Gross and histopathology revealed moderate to severe lymphoid depletion in the bursa of Fabricius and thymus, and sinusitis/rhinitis, tracheitis, bronchopneumonia, myocarditis, nephritis and splenitis. Circovirus infection was diagnosed in the Gouldian finch based on finding characteristic globular intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies containing 15 to 18 nm virus particles in the mononuclear cells of the bursa of Fabricius by transmission electron microscopy and by demonstrating circovirus DNA in the cytoplasm of mononuclear cells of the bursa of Fabricius by in situ hybridization using a circovirus-specific DNA probe. The Gouldian finch was also affected by concurrent bacterial and adenovirus infections. This is the first report of circovirus infection in a Gouldian finch.