Reovirus infection in two species of Psittaciformes recently imported into Italy

An outbreak of reovirus infection with high mortality in two groups of recently imported psittacine birds is reported. The disease in the two species involved, African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) and Australian king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), had differences in clinical presentation and gross lesions. Reovirus particles were observed by electron microscopy and ultrastructural examination of tissues, and two viruses were isolated in cell culture, one from each bird species. Both isolates were studied by cross-neutralization with antisera against reference avian reoviruses isolated from chickens and parrots, and were found to have the greatest similarity to viruses isolated from a budgerigar and a southern screamer.