title: Outbreaks of thrush in pigeons in Punjab State of India.
abstract: Due to high monetary turnover in business, white pigeon keeping for game purposes is gaining more popularity in Punjab. Overcrowding and poor management by undertrained naive farmers make these birds more susceptible to diseases not known so far in this region. A farmer reported that about a hundred pigeons were unable to feed properly and regurgitate feed. Birds lost body condition gradually, and three among these died. Both alive and dead pigeons were presented to the Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC) for detailed examination. All these pigeons were found to be cachectic with wasting of breast muscles. On necropsy, no significant gross lesions were recorded in most of the visceral organs, except mottling of the liver. However, in the oral cavity, gray Turkish towel-like lesions were seen at the opening of the pharynx which continued into the larynx and proximal esophagus. Microscopic examination of material scrapped from lesions revealed a large number of budding yeast-like organisms and pseudohyphae, suggestive ofCandidaspp. Histologically, marked necrosis and sloughing of oral and esophageal mucosal epithelium with the presence of pyogranulomatous inflammation containing a large number ofCandidaorganism were observed. To the authors' knowledge, there seems to be no outbreak of thrush in pigeons in Punjab previously.
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Amritsar, Punjab India.
authors.forename: Madhav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mugale
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Amritsar, Punjab India.
authors.forename: Abid Ali
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Amritsar, Punjab India.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gavhane
authors.affiliation: Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Khalsa College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Amritsar, Punjab India.
authors.forename: Sartaj Ahmad
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bhat
keywords: Candidiasis; Cytology; Histopathology; Pigeons; Thrush