Extensive myocardial hemorrhage dissected between myocardial fibers to the external surface of the right ventricle. Sections of intestine were distended with intraluminal blood from an undetermined source. No parasitic forms were noted in blood cells within the histologic sections. The cause of death in the lovebird was likely due to acute hypoxia from occlusion of blood vessels in the lungs by parasites and thrombi. Alternatively, the bird may have died from internal hemorrhage as evidenced by large amounts of blood in the intestinal lumen and surrounding the liver.
Hemorrhage is many times associated with protozoan cysts in tissues of birds.
Panigrahy described free blood in the thoracoabdominal cavity of 11 canaries with protozoan cysts in the liver. 4 Fowler and Forbes described cases of birds with cysts of aberrant Leucocytozoon sp. 1 Typical findings included gelatino-sanguineous exudate in the pericardial sac with myocardial and epicardial hemorrhages. Free blood was sometimes seen in the thoracoabdominal cavity. Identification of the parasite by examination of histological sections may be impossible.