Avian General Profile offers to veterinarians, breeders and pet owners an economical solution to conducting multiple diagnostic tests at once.The four organisms included in the profile represent most common pathogens that bird owners and breeders should be concerned about. The main advantage of DNA testing is that a pathogen can be detected during any stage of infection even if the bird is not showing any clinical symptoms of disease, Other diagnostic methods, including serological testing are 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, therefore, spreading the infection to other birds in the aviary. Because of its sensitivity, DNA testing allows for detection of carriers which can then be isolated from the rest of bird population.
Bird owners and aviculturalists have realized the benefits of DNA testing screening newly acquired birds provides owners with the opportunity to safely and immediately introduce new birds to their collections, while avoiding lenghty quarantine times.