IS IT PSITTACOSIS?

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 942, 8 April 1930, Page 1

IS IT PSITTACOSIS?

Mortality Among Parrots

25 DEAD IN CHRISTCHURCH

Bird-Fanciers Express Doubt

pccial to THE SL

WELLINGTON, Today. ANEW problem in health administration faces the country as the result of the parrot mortality discovered in the Dominion and the fear of the unknown disease, psittacosis.

Though the disease is spread by parrots and there has been a considerably mortality, among a batch of 74 parrots from Nicaragua which arrived in Auckland on January 31. before the machinery for withholding permits for parrot importation had been put into motion, it is still uncertain that the birds are suffering from anything save change of environment. Experienced bird fanciers in different parts of the country have informed the Health Department that mortality among parrots from sub-tropical countries is by no means an uncommon i king. Nevertheless, nothing is being left to chance by the department, and Dr. T. McKibbin, Director of Public Hygiene, stated today that a Dominionwide search is being conducted by departmental officers for the birds which landed in Auckland on account of a man named White. This is a Blatter of considerable difficulty, as in some cases cash sales have been made hv White, and he and his agents have covered wide areas. The disturbing feature of the situation was that the whole nine parrots which went to Wanganui in one batch showed illness and died. Bacteriological tests have been mads on the blood of two parrots and both tests have proved negative as far as the discovery of any bacteria is concerned. However, the psittacosis is a filter-passing bacteria which needs to lie isolated by a new technique, having to be gorwn In a special culture and inoculated into love-birds, whose condition is then observed. This means that the tests are by no means conclusive. The reassuring feature of the affair is that while there have been a considerable number of parrots in the country and these have been largely in contact with bird-fanciers and the general public, there have been no ctses of disease discovered. In addition, the parrots b rought to Auckland formed part of a batch of between 500 and 600, the remainder of

which went on to Australia, where no consequences have so far been observed. Nevertheless, the Health Department is discouraging people from handling parrots and is urging utmost care in cases where parrots are found j to be ailing.