title: Microlichus americanus acariasis in saffron finches (Sicalis flaveola) with dermatitis and feather loss.
abstract: Over a 5-year period, 13 saffron finches (Sicalis flaveola) housed in mixed aviaries at the Bronx Zoo (Bronx, New York) were examined with feather loss and dermatitis, primarily affecting the nape, neck, and dorsum. Feather loss, hyperkeratosis, epidermal hyperplasia, and mixed granulocytic and mononuclear inflammation were identified in biopsies from live birds and tissue sections from postmortem specimens. In 10 of 13 cases, sections of arthropod parasites were seen histologically within feather follicles and along the surface of affected skin. Based on morphological characteristics, mites recovered from samples of formalin-fixed skin in 4 birds were identified as Microlichus americanus, an epidermoptid mite infrequently reported from wild birds and hippoboscid flies. Gross and histological lesions strongly implicate M. americanus as the cause of dermatitis affecting practically all saffron finches in the collection.
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade) crettenmund@wcs.org.
authors: Christy L
authors: CL
authors: Rettenmund
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade).
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Ossiboff
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade).
authors: Denise
authors: D
authors: McAloose
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade).
authors: Wayne
authors: W
authors: Knee
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade).
authors: Susan E
authors: SE
authors: Wade
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY (Rettenmund, Ossiboff, McAloose, Paré)Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Knee)Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Wade).
authors: Jean A
authors: JA
authors: Paré
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D005241:Feathers / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D046369:Finches; D008297:Male; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D008925:Mites; D009518:New York
keywords: Acariasis; Emberizidae; Epidermoptidae; Microlichus americanus; Sicalis flaveola; Thraupidae; avian; dermatitis; folliculitis; mites; passerine; saffron finches