The University of Iceland Pathological Experiment Station in Keldum recently received for investigation an embalmer’s carcass infected with an enormous number of ticks visible to the naked eye. This is stated in an announcement from MAST.
“During the analysis, it was found that the bird mite Ornithinyssus sylvarium was the case, which had not been detected in this country before, but which can be a major pest if it takes hold in a poultry farm.”
The Keldum Experiment Station informed on March 7 of the analysis of the bird mite, but the ointment was found in late February. He was weak and had a lot of those blood sucking ticks. The bird died soon after and it is thought that the death can be attributed to ticks.
It is not known if the tick has ever been found in birds in this country. In 2018, ticks of this type were detected in caged birds in quarantine at an importer, but the import was rejected due to the diagnosis.
“The bird mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum is widespread worldwide and can cause great damage in infected flocks, causing suffering and even a high number of deaths among birds if appropriate measures are not taken.” So there is a lot of work to be done to keep this pest away from poultry and other birds in captivity. When buying and selling, and other transporting birds, it is important to ensure that the birds are healthy and free of parasites. If ticks are detected, it is important to act quickly to eliminate them. Bird owners should contact a veterinarian immediately if a tick infestation is suspected.”
