The Bully (I)
In my newsletters I have often said, that pigeons can carry a lot of potentially pathogenic bacteria in them, which fortunately does not always equal need to give rise to symptoms. Whether and to what extent these pathogens will cause problems depends on several factors. We read in the newspapers or see on the news quite often reports of outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera in areas where a natural disaster has occurred. These infections are usually just as dormant as infections in pigeons. Only when the conditions are ok, then they can display their harmful effect favorable.
Type Bully
Infections that may be present in pigeons without being equal to disease do not have to give any symptoms, for example, Coccidiosis, Trichomoniasis, Hexamitiasis, streptococci, staphylococci, E. Coli and Salmonella even. But certainly the Bully. The bully's name is officially Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Probably concerns the pigeons when only one of the approximately 200 different strains which consist of this bacterium. We have found in fact carried out DNA typing of Pseudomonas strain. It was so far every time only a particular variant came forward, namely the type of ATCC 10145. Repetition of this study should help determine definitively whether it is indeed still in pigeons to act the same strain.
This Bully bacteria may cause problems during the races. Whether this is the case will depend on the circumstances, but also the extent to which this bacterium is present. In cold and wet conditions we see this bacterium more. In the summer months this bacterium usually causes no problems. The numbers that we adopt a hot environment and are much smaller than in the early spring and at the end of the winter.
As with small numbers of Trichomonas parasites or Coccides is only a small presence of this Bully a little alarming. In fact, until fairly recently, the presence of even larger numbers of these bacteria was still dismissed as a harmless phenomenon. This bacterium shows only under certain circumstances, cause disease such as sepsis or pneumonia, albeit with often fatal.
The presence of the bacterium in humans is often considered a sign of poor defense. Because typical symptoms such as lack in infections with many other bacteria, we also see that this bacterium therefore is not included in many textbooks on diseases.
That does not mean that the bacterium is to be considered innocent for the pigeon sport. The contrary is proved almost daily. Large numbers of spectators who hardly managed to make their prices were found to suffer from this bacterium. Once the infection was eliminated, the problems with the pigeons were in the past.
We see a bacterium that may be present in the winter months, just in the loft with the pigeons, without that they show any symptoms. Apparently because it is clear upon closer inspection that the pigeons are not really well.
Those pigeons quickly fail (sometimes) in the beginning of the spring, as soon as the games start. The performance not only stay out, the number of birds that remain, on simple flights, come in late (sometimes days later) is disproportionately high.
In the past we saw lovers who walked from vet to vet in order to get treatment 'for the airways. Often with disappointing or short-term results. Then again to the next veterinarian for the following cure. The veterinarian who coincidentally gave an active agent against this bacterium was for that moment good. But because the cause was not addressed, it was only a process of trial and error and papering over the cracks.
Is the Bully established then a targeted approach is desired. A random cure will not help the situation and can cause bigger problems on the end.
Next month we continue on the Bully
Good Luck!
Peter Boskamp
