Confirmation of a case of mycoplasmosis in a purple finch in Quebec.

Purple finch infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum (mycoplasmosis). Conjunctivitis associated with bilateral crusts covering the eyes.

During the past year, we have received several photos of passerines with lesions suggestive of mycoplasmosis. However, as none of the sick birds had been submitted for analysis, this presumptive diagnosis had not yet been confirmed by our laboratory. A purple finch (Carpodacus purpureus), found on August 25 in Sainte-Antoine-Abbé (southern Quebec), was submitted to the CWHC Quebec regional centre. Both eyes of the bird were completely covered with dry crusts. The bird, which was in very poor general condition, also presented with difficulty breathing and loss of balance. Lesions of bilateral conjunctivitis, associated with the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum by PCR, were diagnosed at necropsy.

Mycoplasmosis is a potentially fatal bacterial infectious disease that affects the eyes and upper respiratory tract of birds frequenting feeding stations. For more information on this condition, which appears to be resurgent in eastern Canada, please visit the following blog: http://blog.healthywildlife.ca/suspected-cases-of-mycoplasmosis-in-passerines-birds-in-bird-feeders-in-quebec/

CWHC – Quebec