Detection of Mycoplasma in dead psittacine embryos

Abstract

Captive breeding of avian species, both for commercial and conservation purposes, demands healthy breeders for viable healthy progenies. Commercially raised pets must be healthy for market viability and considering the conservation projects, sufficient and health progeny numbers are required, especially for the endangered species. Native Brazilian species, endangered or extinct from nature, have been reproduced in captivity and the obtained progenies have enabled their return to nature, as demonstrated for Amazona aestiva (Lopes, 2016), Aburria jacutinga, Crax blumenbachii, and Pauxi mitu in Brazil (Avelar and Simpson, 2014;Silveira, 2017). Both natural and artificial incubation may be impaired by embryonic disease, despite artificial incubation may enable the hygienic control of eggs and the elimination of parental/nest transmission (Smith, 2019). Species of Mycoplasma spp. are amongst agents capable of causing embryonic and hatchling mortality (Kleven, 2008), and although most species were described in chickens and turkeys, 17 species were found in wild avian hosts, including Mycoplasma buteonis, M. corogypsi, M. falconis, M. gypis and M. sturni (Luttrell and Fischer, 2007). However, M. gallisepticum (MG) was isolated from house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) with conjunctivitis in the surroundings of poultry houses (Ley et al., 1996), which indicated spill over from chickens to passerines. MG, M. synoviae (MS) and M. meleagridis (MM) are long been known for