Effects of Mycoplasma gallisepticum on Reproductive Success in House Finches

Long known as a pathogen of poultry, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) was first detected in house finches in 1994. The disease rapidly spread throughout the eastern United States and Canada and was associated with debilitating disease and high mortality in house finches. However, in the late 1990s, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Avian diseases 2004-12, Vol.48 (4), p.879-885
Main Authors: Nolan, Paul M, Roberts, Sharon R, Hill, Geoffrey E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal growth
animal reproduction
Animals
Aviculture
bird diseases
Bird Diseases - microbiology
Bird Diseases - physiopathology
Bird Diseases - transmission
Bird nesting
Breeding
Breeding seasons
Carpodacus mexicanus
Chicks
conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis - microbiology
Conjunctivitis - veterinary
disease
disease incidence
disease outbreaks
disease transmission
Eggs
fecundity
Female
Female animals
Finches
Finches - microbiology
Finches - physiology
Fringillidae
house finch
Infections
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - veterinary
Male
mortality
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Mycoplasma Infections - physiopathology
Mycoplasma Infections - transmission
Mycoplasma Infections - veterinary
mycoplasmosis
nests
pseudovertical transmission
Regular s
Reproduction - physiology
risk factors
vertical transmission
wild birds
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Summary:Long known as a pathogen of poultry, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) was first detected in house finches in 1994. The disease rapidly spread throughout the eastern United States and Canada and was associated with debilitating disease and high mortality in house finches. However, in the late 1990s, the proportion of infected finches dying as a result of infection with MG decreased, and asymptomatic infection was more common among wild birds than in the past. We documented MG infections in breeding house finches and concluded that adults of both sexes transmit the infection to dependent young, probably after hatch. MG infections of breeding adults occurred late in the breeding season and were found in birds completing significantly more nests than birds that never tested positive for MG, implying that higher rates of reproduction carry a cost in the form of increased risk of infection. We found evidence of an MG-induced delay in dispersal of nestlings from their natal area and demonstrated a significant impact of infection on nestling growth.
ISSN:0005-2086
1938-4351
DOI:10.1637/7233-070604R1