The yeast Macrorhabdus sp., which causes digestive issues, is the source of the bird sickness known as avian gastric yeast infection.
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Diagnosis
Fresh faecal samples are utilized as a rapid diagnostic technique for avian gastric yeast because it is transported from the faeces to the mouth. Because the organism is only seldom discharged in droppings, faecal tests are not very precise. Uninfection is not ruled out by a negative test. A microscope is used in cytology to search for organisms in animal droppings. Using the acid-fast [AFB] procedure, the organisms can be dyed.
More accurate but more costly and time-consuming is the PCR test.
Only histology, a tissue sample, can provide a conclusive diagnosis of avian stomach yeast infection. Due to the complications and risk of a surgical operation, an isthmus tissue sample is typically taken after death.
Treatment
Depending on the severity of the bird's clinical indications, different treatments have different results. An anti-fungal is Amphotericin B is often used as treatment. When amphotericin B fails, another antifungal called fluconazole is employed.
Prevention
For the prevention of avian gastric yeast, there is no vaccination. Eliminating the infection from your flock is the only way to stop it from spreading. Before adding additional birds to the flock, quarantine them for 30 days. All new birds require a veterinary examination.
In Memory of Basil - Basil's Last few Weeks before succumbing to the disease
I've been noticing Basil feeling off for a week so I decided to book an appointment with our avian vet. Basil she went from 54 gm to 44 gm, we decided to do some tests. Our vet did two fecal test (gram stain and a direct smear) and had blood work done. I had to wait for about a week to get news from the blood work but her fecal tests showed she had avian gastric yeast. Due to this, Basil had to take 5 units of Amphotericin B (antifungal medication) orally every 12 hours for 30 days.
Our vet suggest that, although not certain, she most likely got it from Sky and Ocean — the newest additions to my flock. Sky and Ocean (and the rest of my flock) are not showing any symtoms other than Basil. In short, all five of my birds will be on medication. Since it would be hard to give all five birds daily meds, it was decided that their medication will be going in their water bowl but Basil will be separated so I can give hers orally.
Few days later, her blood work came in. Her white cell was high (due to some infection). This time around, our avian vet decided to stop the medication for gastric yeast and work on addressing an infection she might be fighting.
Basil got some fluids, force fed with a syringe, and a shot to give her a boost to address the infection. She was also given some pain medication.
She's dropped to 34 grams and I was really hoping she would bounce back and gain some weight back. She was put on Baytril twice a day and our vet said we should see improvements by day 3 latest.
Losing a bird you deeply cared for, loved, and was very attached too is always very difficult. I'm just so heartbroken and lost because I was so hopeful that Basil would make it. Basil passed away at 7:46 p.m. On my palms. She took a deep breath, turned her head towards me, and was just gone. I closed her eyes as they were open momentarily and held her for an hour Before burying her beside Snowy, Limon and Kiwi.
She was booked for a follow-up on July 28th. On day 3, I noticed a steady decline in her weight. I decided to give my clinic a call because Basil was not improving; she was declining rapidly. She was going to be seen today but, she knew it was her time to go.
Some may not have known, but I got Basil from a subscriber who saw my videos on youtube. She initially sold two of Basil's friends but was surprised that they were being re-sold online at a higher price the following day. She decided to send me a long email about Basil. And, that was it... She was mine. If you land on this post just one day, I'm so sorry. I tried my best to help her get better. She had plenty of toys, a great diet, and vets who took great care of her.
Basil was such a brave and courageous birdie. She was not great at flying because she was an English budgie, but she enjoyed the company of the many friends she made over the short two years she had with me. I know the quality of life is more important than quantity – but I really miss her. It's so unfair for such a beautiful bird to be gone so soon.
This post was made to educate bird owners on Avian Gastric Yeast but also what signs to look for.
Avian Gastric Yeast in Birds
Comments (5)
I am so sorry about your bird. I found your page because I suspect AYG in my six-year-old budgie.
For anyone who wishes to know how to identify and treat this, this is the best source of information I have found on the topic: Prevalence of Avian Gastric Yeast (Macrorhabdus ornithogaster) in Parrots and Parakeets: A Case Study" (Journal of World’s Poultry Science. 2022; 1(1): 29-31).
Little over a week ago, I uncovered my parakeet’s cage to find the classic puffed up and lethargic sick bird presentation along with vomiting. I immediately put a heat lamp on him and set to get him into an Avian vet but it was a Friday (12/13) and he could not be seen until Monday.
At first I blamed a piece of millet that I added to the cage the night before (came out of an open bag that I hadn’t used for some time, causing fear that it might have been contaminated with mycotoxins). However, complicating matters, my state just declared an H5N1 bird flu emergency and — by coincidence (or not) — my spouse had come down sick earlier in the week, next our bird and then me with a severe respiratory infection.
My bird went downhill so fast over the weekend before his scheduled vet visit that I feared I would lose him. As a result, I ended up putting him on Doxycycline (100mg Doxycycline Hycalate capsules, contents dissolved in 8 oz of distilled water, which had originally been prescribed for my spouse at an Urgent Care the same day my bird came down sick (spouse tested negative for COVID, Flu A and B but they gave him an antibiotic). Late Saturday afternoon I gave my bird some boiled egg, Pedialyte and ACV blended in water through a dropper and then administered the antibiotic water by beak. The next day I saw a noticeable improvement — more active and back to eating and drinking again — but I decided to keep my appointment just the same because my bird still wasn’t singing or acting 100 percent.
The avian vet did a swab of the crop (gram stain) which was negative, and said that 29 grams is a “normal” body weight (meanwhile his breast bone is sharp and he feels emaciated to me). He said he does not see fungal infections all that often in birds. (Meanwhile, my research had suggested that budgies and other small birds are quite vulnerable, in fact, to “yeast” infections.) He refused to do a fecal test and suggested switching to 1x daily Baytril. By day three of Baytril, my bird was worse: He was running all over the cage in a state of agitation regurgitating and then wiping his beak. He was off his food again and too agitated to rest. I observed over the course of 6 hours improved behavior, such that I associated the problem with his morning dose of Baytril. I left a message at the vet office, given that nausea is a side effect of the drug along with agitation. Through a vet tech, I was told to stay the course. (Not offered anything for the nausea, either.)
It didn’t sit right with me so I switched my bird back to Doxycycline. However, the more I researched, the more it seemed like his symptoms fit better with AYG vs. Psittacosis or bird flu (highly pathogenic bird flu would have been expected to kill my bird right away). As a result, my bird had an exhausting eight hour day consulting with another avian vet for a second opinion. That vet did not explain her thinking any more than the first vet — both seemed to think that six-years of age is quite old for a non-English budgie. (Having owned 12 budgies over the years with at least half of them making it to age 10, I wasn’t ready to give up on my bird so soon!). At any rate, she recommended 30 days of Doxycycline, which is the treatment for Psittacosis. Needless to say, I was concerned that taking any antibiotic that long could result in a fungal infection, assuming that wasn’t already the primary cause of my bird’s illness. Moreover, I was concerned that if AGY was the culprit all along, prolonged antibiotic use would be akin to pouring fuel on a fire.
The avian vet offered to do X-ray, vitamin injections and lab work but I wasn’t sure my bird could survive all that in a single visit. While I was attempting to figure out which tests were the higher priority (i.e. would taking blood determine his liver or kidney function or consist of only confirmation that he is sick)? The vet tech went back and forth several times to the doctor, who had long since left the room, to relate my questions — only to reappear and say I had run out of time to have anything whatsoever done at all! I was really ticked off that I had driven that far with a seriously ill bird in tow, put down a $150 deposit by phone in advance — specifically asked if they could do a fecal smear because he wasn’t given the test locally! — only to be sent away empty handed (not even with Doxycycline since I had purchased that on my own from a bird supply). So I put my foot down and asked for the fecal smear, which is all I ended up getting out of the appointment. I was then informed they would not look at the fresh sample in house, so now I am awaiting results that won’t be available from a “university” until after Christmas. I explained that I wanted to leave the visit with at least an anti-fungal so I could be ready with it. She prescribed Nystatin, once in the AM and once in the PM.
Subsequently, I stumbled across the above journal article on AYG in which they pointed out that Nystatin only worked to clear the infection when also combined with Apple Cider Vinegar or a secondary anti-fungal. So now I am using a couple of drops worth of ACV and also, as a secondary measure, an anti-fungal remedy called Pau D’Arco (purchased as an alcohol free tincture, intended for human use, on Amazon. Alas, I could not find any instructions on dosing so currently winging it by adding 1-2 drops to an ounce of drinking water.)
My precious parakeet looks like he will at least make it through Christmas, but he’s still showing fatigue, not singing and occasional regurgitation after any attempt to eat. As a result, I emailed a “status update” on Christmas Eve to both veterinary offices, in which I shared the above-mentioned journal article given that both avian veterinarians were bizarrely indifferent to fungal illness as a problem either up front or as a secondary consequence of prolonged antibiotic administration.
I hope by sharing my experience it will help others, in much the same way this page helped me. Don’t assume just because it’s a budgie and veterinarians all seem to think they have “bad genetics”, “bad diets” or both, that a bird can’t recover. Many do not and it is often out of our hands as small bird owners. But never feel guilty for trying! Every feathered friend is worth the effort to save, young or old.
I’m so sorry you lost Basil. Mikey, my budgie, was diagnosed with AGY recently. He tested positive last April for Avian Ganglio Neuritis. Clinical signs began with regurgitation. Progressed to projectile vomiting. Fecal gram did not reveal any yeast. He has been having Onsior injections since that time in February the injections made him worse. I told my vet. We did bloodwork and a CT scan
Bloodwork was all normal. The scan revealed gas bubbles throughout his tract. Fecal stain this time revealed yeast. The compounded prescriptikn medicine arrived two days ago. He will take it for 30 days. My avian vet said to also put organic cider vinegar in his water. 2 tablespoons to four cups of water. He is taking Celebrex and a medication to reduce regurgitation. I dont know what to expect, but, hoping for the best.
I’m so sorry you lost Basil. Mikey, my budgie, was diagnosed with AGY recently. He tested positive last April for Avian Ganglio Neuritis. Clinical signs began with regurgitation. Progressed to projectile vomiting. Fecal gram did not reveal any yeast. He has been having Onsior injections since that time in February the injections made him worse. I told my vet. We did bloodwork and a CT scan
Bloodwork was all normal. The scan revealed gas bubbles throughout his tract. Fecal stain this time revealed yeast. The compounded prescriptikn medicine arrived two days ago. He will take it for 30 days. My avian vet said to also put organic cider vinegar in his water. 2 tablespoons to four cups of water. He is taking Celebrex and a medication to reduce regurgitation. I dont know what to expect, but, hoping for the best.
Recently lost two likely to AGY.
Squeak who was a baby just past first moulting, rescued from a deceased estate, as a result not well cared for in the aviary, seemed to pick up, big appetite, then sudden loss of weight, exhaustion, stopped eating.
Harry who was a spectacular green, yellow faced spangle and like your Basil, very tame, loving and our great friend, only three years old.
Made us hyper vigilant and we have just had another with symptoms seen by vet and started on fluconazole along with his cage mates so four on 12 hourly doses for a month! If they all make it we will be so relieved.
Recently lost two likely to AGY.
Squeak who was a baby just past first moulting, rescued from a deceased estate, as a result not well cared for in the aviary, seemed to pick up, big appetite, then sudden loss of weight, exhaustion, stopped eating.
Harry who was a spectacular green, yellow faced spangle and like your Basil, very tame, loving and our great friend, only three years old.
Made us hyper vigilant and we have just had another with symptoms seen by vet and started on fluconazole along with his cage mates so four on 12 hourly doses for a month! If they all make it we will be so relieved.