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Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Procedures for Identifying Infectious Prions After Passage Through the Digestive System of an Avian Species
Published on: November 6, 2013
Cryptococcus bacillisporus causing cryptococcoma of the beak of an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus),
Carolina Silva1, Carles Juan-Sallés2, Joana Mendes1
1VetExóticos, Clínica Veterinaria, Almada, Portugal.
Abstract:
We report a severe case of rhinothecal cryptococcoma in a 13-year-old female African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus). The bird was born and bred in captivity in Portugal. The beak was deformed and showed several round soft masses, and microscopic examination revealed the presence of cells suggestive for Cryptococcus. Phenotypic and molecular analyses identified the obtained yeast culture as C. bacillisporus (AFLP5/VGIII). By phylogenetic analysis the parrot strain clustered with clinical C. bacillisporus strains from Mexico.

