Published in Scientific Works. C Series. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LVIII ISSUE 4
Written by Iulia Paraschiv, Manuella Militaru, Laurenţiu Tudor
Tumoral lesions in psittacines are, nowadays, clinically diagnosed with increasing frequency. This study is aimed to evaluate clinic and epidemiologic characteristics together with the efficiency of the cytologic, histopathologic and necropsic diagnosis on lesions in parrots. A total of 23 cases were examined at the Department of Pathological Anatomy of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest during September 2011 - October 2012. 19 standard budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), two cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus), one lovebird (Peach-Faced Agapornis) and one cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) were clinically examined. Sex of the birds was not significant in the tumor incidence. Regarding age, 17 cases were 1-5 years old and only 6 over 5. Regarding topography, 7 cases presented lesions in the pectoral area, 6 cases in the abdominal area and, same number, in the wing region and one case each for the uropygial region, legs, eye, cere and beak. Microscopically, most of the cases were diagnosed as tumors and only one as inflamatory process. The majority were classified as malignant proliferations, from which five had mesenchymal origin (four fibrosarcomas and one hystiocitic cell sarcoma) and one, epithelial origin (a basal-cell carcinoma). The benign lesions had a mesenchymal origin (one hemangyoma and two lypomas). Malignant cases had a poor survival rate, under three weeks for mesenchymal neoplasms and one week for the epithelial one. All in all, this study revealed that most cases of lesions in parrots were 1-4 year old, located either on trunk or wing and the majority confirmed a malignant proliferation.
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epidemiology
