Pathological, clinical and mycological findings in experimental aspergillosis infections of starlings.

Abstract

A group of 24 wild starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), in undefined age categories but at least post-pubertal, constituted the material of this study. Six starlings were kept as a control group and 18 starlings served as the infection group. The starlings in the infection group were infected with inoculums of 1.35 x 10(6)/0.2 ml Aspergillus fumigatus via intratracheal route whereas the control group was administered only placebo in the same way. Six, four, two, four and two birds died on 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 days post inoculation respectively. At the necropsy of the dead birds, caseous foci were determined in the lungs, on the air sacks, myocardium, thoracic wall and abdominal serosa. In the histopathological examination of the white-yellowish caseous foci ranging from pinhead to chick pean in size, necrotic granulomatous foci consisting of macrophages, heterophil leukocytes and gigant cells encapsulated with a fibrous tissue were observed. Hyphae and spores of A. fumigatus were determined in these foci using the Gridley staining method.