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Avian Gastric Yeast

Birds suffer from various digestive disorders and diseases, including yeast infections. One such yeast infection which can affect your bird is avian gastric yeast (or Macrorhabdus).

Macrorhabdus commonly infects birds with low immunity. It also occurs in birds already suffering from another disease, or those that have a diet lacking nutrients.

Symptoms and Types

Birds infected with avian gastric yeast (Macrorhabdus) have the following signs and symptoms: 

• Continuous loss of weight
• Regurgitation of food
• Excessive food intake followed by loss of appetite
• Undigested seeds or pellets (bird feed) in the droppings

The death rate due to avian gastric yeast disease can be as low as 10 percent, or as high as 80 percent. But it depends on the degree of infection, the bird species and the strain of Macrorhabdus infecting the bird.

Causes

The avian gastric yeast disease is caused by direct contact with infected food or the droppings of an infected bird. An animal can also be infected if the yeast microbes are found in the environment.