What should we know about Trichomoniasis?

The breeding season has already started, and one of the biggest problems faced by breeding pigeons during this particularly important time is Trichomoniasis. This disease significantly affects the quality of the offspring, and it can even endanger the lives of the breeders, which is why it must be taken into account with great care! Last but not least, Trichomoniasis also severely affects the racing pigeons, leading to a lack of sporting performance.

What is Trichomoniasis?

Trichomoniasis is a disease caused by the protozoan Trichomonas columbae, a single-celled organism that develops in the digestive tract of pigeons, especially in the throat and crop. This microbe is sensitive to the external environment and survives only for a few minutes outside the pigeon’s body, which helps in controlling the disease. Thus, birds cannot get infected from the loft or the surrounding environment as happens with other diseases. The organism spreads through contact between birds, usually via saliva or crop milk. Saliva contaminates food and water, and when a pigeon drinks, the microorganism is released through its beak. Therefore, when another pigeon comes to drink, it ingests the trichomonad organism. Also, when a pigeon searches for food, every grain it touches becomes infected, facilitating transmission to others. The disease can also spread through beak-to-beak contact with an infected pigeon or through the feeding of chicks by their parents. Stress caused by races can affect the pigeons' immune system. Depending on the level of stress, the number of trichomonads can increase or decrease. When the level is high, the pigeon may develop secondary infections, especially respiratory infections.

General Symptoms

Once infected with Trichomoniasis, the general condition of the pigeons changes visibly. They are not as active anymore and their appetite decreases drastically. In the case of breeders, they stop eating large seeds and tend to “scrape” in the feeder. Water consumption increases significantly, and in the case of breeders, the chicks become very noisy due to being poorly fed. Digestion is severely affected, and the droppings are very watery and have a pungent smell. It should be noted that these disease symptoms appear 4 days after infection. In severe cases of infection, solid deposits of white-yellowish color appear in the pigeons' throat.

Treatment

The classic synthetic treatments used against Trichomoniasis are those from the imidazole drug family: ronidazole, carnidazole, metronidazole, dimetridazole, etc. It is recommended to avoid combining treatments for Trichomoniasis with antibiotics, as antibiotics can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Trichomoniasis treatments.

A Natural Prevention/Treatment Option

A study compared metronidazole treatment with garlic extract-based treatment for combating Trichomoniasis. The conclusion was that the pigeons were exceptionally well-protected by the garlic extract. The group treated with garlic extract had a higher body weight and a lower mortality rate after treatment than the group treated with metronidazole. The study included 48 pigeons, divided into 4 groups. Group 1 was uninfected and did not receive treatment. All young pigeons in the other three groups were infected with Trichomoniasis. Group 2 was contaminated and did not receive treatment. Group 3 was treated with metronidazole. Group 4 received a 7-day consecutive treatment with garlic aqueous extract in drinking water. In Group 4, the garlic extract had the most powerful effect against Trichomoniasis, and the treatment duration could be shortened from 7 to 5 days. Pigeons in Group 2 who were infected and untreated suffered from macrocytic hypochromic anemia (a severe form of anemia), while chicks in Groups 3 and 4 had a normal hemogram. Therefore, garlic can decisively help in the treatment and prevention of Trichomoniasis.

Sources: 

https://comed.be/ro/blogs/nieuws/een-slimme-onderkruiper-genoemd-trichomonas-columbae-in-de-volksmond-het-geel