Mycoplasma gallisepticum on a quail

[zaksa_1303]

Hi everyone,
I am looking for some help regarding one of my female quails who is about 1year and 4months old. She seems to have Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Her eyes are a kind of swollen and there is small amounts of frothy spit like liquid coming out the corners of her eyes. Any advice on what medicine to get or generally other things to do are much appreciated. Also she is a coturnix quail and I have already separated her, but she gets lonely and starts flying and chirping loudly. I sometimes bring another quail in for about half an hour just for her to socialise. Any help appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Nabiki]

From what I understand, mycoplasma isn't treatable by drugs and the bird will carry it even after it heals. However, you can help by giving regular saline rinses and making sure that it stays clean.

 

[Goosebaby]

Tylosin, I would treat the whole flock via their water as according to the instructions.
https://birdpalproducts.com/products/tylosin-powder-for-birds?_pos=1&_sid=c2db06ac2&_ss=r

Mycoplasma is slow moving but it’s pretty much guaranteed that all members of your flock will get it if they don’t already have it. It’s an insidious and sneaky pathogen that’s hard to test for and pretty much impossible to eradicate. Treatment will make it go dormant but the next stress trigger can bring it back out again, anything from heat, cold, fear, flock drama, injury, or another illness can bring it back out. Think of it as something you’ll have to keep an eye out for and manage if it pops up again.

 

[Susan Skylark]

You can’t diagnose a particular respiratory pathogen based on clinical signs, but you can treat an outbreak of something empirically and have strong suspicions of what it might be. Mycoplasma is ridiculously hard to treat in most species, it is endemic within the animal and usually only causes symptoms in combination with stress or other pathogens. I would not treat the entire flock unless you have multiple sick birds. Treating the individual bird is a good idea, isolation is only necessary if the other birds are picking on her or if it makes treatment easier for you, the other birds have already been exposed/carry it. Good feeed, fresh water, good ventilation are vital. Pus in the eyes or sinuses or difficulty breathing also make antibiotics a good idea (I’ve used tetracycline, cephalexin, amoxicillin, and sulfas without incident). There are no good anti inflammatory options for quail except steroids (dexamethasone or prednisone, but only 1-2 treatments, not long term). If you notice joint swelling or lameness consider mycoplasma synoviae rather than gallisepticum, synoviae can pass vertically (through the egg) so consider that in future breeding decisions as well.