GA Submitted by Real Macaw Member, Donnah Roder A recently recognized infectious agent is killing companion, aviary, and free ranging birds throughout the world. At present, no birds are known to be resistant. Pacific, South American, and Afro Asian species have been described with characteristic lesions. Suggestive lesions have been reported in free ranging Canada Geese and Spoonbills, Toucans, and Weavers. Other nonpsittacine birds may also prove to be susceptible to this disease as improved tests are developed to accurately diagnosis affected individuals.
Clinical reports suggest that adults are more commonly affected than neonates.
Proventricular Dilatation Disease has been recognized since the late 1970s. Initially, the disease seemed limited to Macaws. This fact, in conjunction with an unknown cause, gave rise to the terms Macaw Wasting or Fading Syndrome, Macaw Wasting Syndrome, and Gastric Distention of Macaws. As it became apparent that the disease occurred in psittacines other than Macaws, a more general terminology was used to describe the disease, including Psittacine Wasting Syndrome, Proventricular Hyper trophy, or Proven- tricular Dilatation Syndrome. Various terminology has also been used to describe the pathological features of this disease.