LM Bilthoven, The Netherlands Abstract. A case is presented of intestinal microsporidiosis in a blue fronted Amazon parrot, including clinical presentation, diagnosis in vivo, pathology and ultrastructure. Amazona aestiva, Avian Introduction Diarrhea has many causes in birds and it can take on a variety of appearances. The most common cause of diarrhea in pet avian species is bacterial infection.
Most enteric pathogens belong to the gram-negative family Enterobacteriaceae.
The diagnosis is based on culture and clinical evaluation, but a fecal quick-stain is useful for identifying bacterial populations and the presence of yeast. 1 Gastrointestinal protozoans are also common as a cause of diarrhea in many avian species. Giardia sp. is considered the most important flagellate in the lower gastrointestinal tract of psittacines. Although uncommonly identified in clinical avian practice, gastrointestinal cryptosporidiosis has been reported in many species, including psittacines. Diarrhea may be acute and severe.