Visceral gout
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Visceral gout is a disease of birds in which kidney failure causes a build-up or urates in the internal organs, leaving a chalky white coating on them.
It is a problem common to caged birds, but it can also be caused by ingestion of certain poisons in the wild.
Symptoms include anorexia and emaciation.
Notably, it has caused the collapse of the vulture population in India and Pakistan, in which about 95 percent of the vulture population has died, causing major concern and human health hazards. The cause is the use of diclofenac, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), for treating sick cattle. The vultures then ingest the carcasses of the cattle that die, and are poisoned by them.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Visceral gout in caged birds
- "India's Vultures Fall Prey to a Drug in the Cattle They Feed On", New York Times, Amelia Gentleman, March 28, 2006.
