Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 What kind of bird is it? I currently am owned by about 70 birds cockatiels,English Budgies,Lovebirds,Parrotlets an African Grey and 2 Timneh Greys. I have only gotten Psittacosis once and that was after a visit to a friends home. It will feel like the flu but will hang on. Antibiotics will clear it up. Actually we had a bird meeting at her home and 2 of us came down with it. FRANK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 What kind of bird is it? I currently am owned by about 70 birds cockatiels,English Budgies,Lovebirds,Parrotlets an African Grey and 2 Timneh Greys. I have only gotten Psittacosis once and that was after a visit to a friends home. It will feel like the flu but will hang on. Antibiotics will clear it up. Actually we had a bird meeting at her home and 2 of us came down with it. FRANK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 For years, people have repeated the warning about HIV+ people not changing cat litterboxes due to increased fear of toxoplasmosis. (I think for many, this has been a quite convenient excuse to get someone else to change the catbox!). Anyway, I volunteer for a Humane Society program which provides free services to low-income people with AIDS to help them keep their animals. I asked one of the vets with the program if there was any validity to this often-repeated advice?He told me NO- or more precisely, that PWA's are equally well advised as anyone to wear gloves and wash hands while changing catboxes. Adding a mask wouldn't be a bad idea either. But this is true for everybody.I expect the same thing is true with the bird. Certainly you should be careful about getting bird crap on you, and you should wash your hands after touching the bird and keep your hands away from your mouth, etc. BUT, so should negative people. Anyway, this is what I've been told. I"m sure there is a whole roster of different opinions on this subject, but this is what I've heard from a vet.JimS,Seattle>> Hi everyone,> > A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him)> > Thanks,> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 For years, people have repeated the warning about HIV+ people not changing cat litterboxes due to increased fear of toxoplasmosis. (I think for many, this has been a quite convenient excuse to get someone else to change the catbox!). Anyway, I volunteer for a Humane Society program which provides free services to low-income people with AIDS to help them keep their animals. I asked one of the vets with the program if there was any validity to this often-repeated advice?He told me NO- or more precisely, that PWA's are equally well advised as anyone to wear gloves and wash hands while changing catboxes. Adding a mask wouldn't be a bad idea either. But this is true for everybody.I expect the same thing is true with the bird. Certainly you should be careful about getting bird crap on you, and you should wash your hands after touching the bird and keep your hands away from your mouth, etc. BUT, so should negative people. Anyway, this is what I've been told. I"m sure there is a whole roster of different opinions on this subject, but this is what I've heard from a vet.JimS,Seattle>> Hi everyone,> > A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him)> > Thanks,> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 I don't know if toxoplasmosis is a risk from birds. You can find a copy of "Your Bird and Your Health" at http://www.pawssf.org/library_yourbirdyourhealth.htm . It's pretty informative. I'm told that "with good numbers", even a cat box isn't a big threat - but it can't hurt to read up. BG toxoplasmosis Hi everyone, A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him) Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 I don't know if toxoplasmosis is a risk from birds. You can find a copy of "Your Bird and Your Health" at http://www.pawssf.org/library_yourbirdyourhealth.htm . It's pretty informative. I'm told that "with good numbers", even a cat box isn't a big threat - but it can't hurt to read up. BG toxoplasmosis Hi everyone, A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him) Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2007 Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 "A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him)",There are a few bugs that can be carried by birds, including toxoplasmosis. Birds do generate lots of waste, that seems to get broadcast around quite a bit. "Fresh" bird poop is not really the issue, as the organism has to hang out in the environment for a few days to hatch.Many feel that toxo infections are not caused be new contact with pets, but old infections that re-emerge with decreased immune function. With good numbers, I don't think you need to avoid your friends. I would avoid all contact with the bird's cage, and anywhere waste might accumulate. Good handwashing is a given. Barrowpozbod@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2007 Report Share Posted January 9, 2007 "A friend of mine bought a new bird that I've been playing with. As a person with HIV with "good numbers", am I risking becoming infected with toxoplasmosis or is that only a risk if I'm near his cage? He does seem to poop a lot and so far I haven't gotten any on me, but his owners get pooped on quite a bit. This bird is a pooping machine. My husband is concerned about me going over there now. What do you think? (I do wash my hands well after handling him)",There are a few bugs that can be carried by birds, including toxoplasmosis. Birds do generate lots of waste, that seems to get broadcast around quite a bit. "Fresh" bird poop is not really the issue, as the organism has to hang out in the environment for a few days to hatch.Many feel that toxo infections are not caused be new contact with pets, but old infections that re-emerge with decreased immune function. With good numbers, I don't think you need to avoid your friends. I would avoid all contact with the bird's cage, and anywhere waste might accumulate. Good handwashing is a given. Barrowpozbod@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 19, 2008 Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 All, I believe there was a discussion of Toxoplasmosis recently so here is some info on it. 60 million people in the US are infected by this parasite! Wow! Edgar Indiana U scientists uncover potential key to better drugs to fight toxoplasmosis parasite Discoveries by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists have opened a promising door to new drugs for toxoplasmosis and other parasites that now can evade treatments by turning dormant in the body. Their findings help explain how the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis transforms into a cyst form that resists drugs and the body's immune system, yet can emerge from its dormant state to strike when a patient's immune system is weakened. Led by J. Sullivan Jr., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and C. Wek, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, the research team found a cellular signaling system that takes hold when the parasite is stressed, enabling it to transform into the cyst surrounded by a protective barrier. The signaling system identified by the IU team could serve as a target to block the transformation into the cyst form or to attack the parasite while in the cyst form. Their report was published in the June 13 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite converts from an active state to the inactive cyst state when it is stressed, for example, by heat from fever. Stress response mechanisms have been well studied in yeast and other organisms, but the pathways used by the toxoplasmosis parasite had not been determined. " We found a cellular signal that appears to put the parasite to sleep, which in turn tells us something new about how opportunistic pathogens such as Toxoplasma awaken to cause disease during immunosuppression, " said Dr. Sullivan. An estimated 60 million people in the United States are infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite, but for most infection produces flu-like symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, for people with immune system problems – such as those undergoing chemotherapy or people with AIDS – the disease can cause serious effects including lung problems, blurred vision and seizures. Also, infants born to mothers who are infected during or shortly before pregnancy are at risk for severe complications, miscarriages or stillbirths. Medications to treat Toxoplasma gondii are effective but too toxic for extended use, and they don't affect the cyst form, said Dr. Sullivan. " A healthy immune system can keep this parasite in the cyst state. Without a healthy immune system, this organism can run rampant, " said Dr. Sullivan. " This can be a very serious problem for people with AIDS. " The discovery linking this stress-response mechanism to cyst formation and maintenance not only offers a possible target for new drugs, but it could also lead to a preventative vaccine – for animals. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite can infect most animals and birds, but it reproduces in cats, which can shed the parasite in their feces. Humans can be infected through contact with the infected feces or litter. People can also become infected by consuming undercooked meat. A vaccine to prevent infection in cats and livestock could prevent a significant proportion of human infections, Dr. Sullivan said. Source: Indiana University http://www.physorg.com/news133014300.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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