Avian General Profile offers to
veterinarians, breeders and pet owners an economical
solution to conducting multiple diagnostic tests at
once. All four organisms included in the profile present
most common pathogens that bird owners and especially
breeders should be concerned about. The main advantage
of DNA testing over other diagnostic methods is that
a pathogen can be detected during any stage of infection
even if the host is not showing any clinical symptoms
of disease, where, for example, serological testing
is based on the detection of antibodies and usually
require an immune response. In certain cases, a bird's
immune system may be able to overcome or supress an
infection. In this scenario, the bird is considered
a carrier of the infection and may actively shed the
organism into its environment if exposed to different
types of stress, and, therefore, spreading the infection
to other birds in the aviary. Because of its sensitivity,
DNA testing allows for detection of carriers and, thus,
isolating them from the rest of bird population.
Bird owners and aviculturalists have realized the benefits
of DNA testing since screening all newly acquired birds
provides owners with the opportunity to safely and immediately
introduce new birds to their collections, while avoiding
lenghty quarantine times.
|