A disease complex associated with pigeon circovirus infection, young pigeon disease syndrome

In order to collect more convincing data on the aetiological agent of young pigeon disease syndrome (YPDS), a comprehensive study was performed on pigeons in German lofts with or without outbreaks of YPDS. The investigations included examination of histories, clinical signs and pathology, as well as parasitological and microbiological analysis. Pigeons in their 4th to 12th week of life exhibited clinical signs at higher frequency and with greater severity than pigeons of other ages. Greenish liquid in the crop, proventriculus and ventriculus, and yellow fluid in the small intestine were seen more often in YPDS-affected pigeons. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated more frequently from these birds. Depletion of splenic and bursal lymphocytes was only seen in pigeons with YPDS. Inclusion bodies were present in various organs, especially the bursa of Fabricius. The genome of pigeon circovirus was detected in lymphoid tissues from all pigeons with YPDS. The results of this study indicate that YPDS is a multifactorial disease in which pigeon circovirus might be a crucial factor, possibly by inducing immunosuppression in infected birds.