Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis in wild songbirds: the spread of a new contagious disease in a mobile host population.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Fischer, J. R. ; Stallknecht, D. E. ; Luttrell, P. ; Dhondt, A. A. ; Converse, K. A.
• Description:
  A new mycoplasmal conjunctivitis was first reported in wild house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) in early 1994. The causative agent was identified as Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), a nonzoonotic pathogen of poultry that had not been associated with disease in wild songbirds. Since the initial observations of affected house finches in the mid-Atlantic region, the disease has become widespread and has been reported throughout the eastern United States and Canada. By late 1995, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis had spread to an additional species, the American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis). This new disease exemplifies the rapid spread of a pathogen following introduction into a mobile wildlife population and provides lessons that may apply to emerging human diseases.
• Subjects:
  Animals Bird Diseases Birds Conjunctivitis, Bacterial Humans Mycoplasma Mycoplasma Infections Research Article Species Specificity
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 3(1):69-72.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Canada ; United States
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  3
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:5b2c3d2744f92cc799bb9374f9002691d1cc7ac3a841a9512fbe76254d245a34
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/15377/cdc_15377_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 92.40 KB ]