Pacheco's disease in birds causes death of well-fleshed animals, bright yellow urates with little feces, and an enlarged or mottled liver on necropsy. Which description best completes this statement?

Pacheco's disease in birds causes death of well-fleshed animals, bright yellow urates with little feces, and an enlarged or mottled liver on necropsy. Which description best completes this statement?

• A. Enlarged liver with clinical signs of jaundice
• B. Gingival hemorrhage and anemia
• C. Seizures and ataxia
• D. Hair loss and pale mucous membranes

Answer: (A)

Pacheco's disease is a herpesviral infection that causes acute, severe liver damage in birds. When the liver is extensively necrotic, it becomes enlarged and mottled, and its ability to process and excrete bile is impaired. This leads to bilirubin buildup and jaundice, which in birds often presents as yellowing of tissues and urine (bright yellow urates) with little feces because bile pigments aren’t reaching the gut. Therefore, an enlarged liver accompanied by signs of jaundice best completes the statement. The other descriptions reflect problems not tied to hepatic failure and jaundice, such as hemorrhage from vitamin deficiencies, neurological signs from toxins, or anemia-related pallor, which do not align with the described hepatic pathology.

Pacheco's disease is a herpesviral infection that causes acute, severe liver damage in birds. When the liver is extensively necrotic, it becomes enlarged and mottled, and its ability to process and excrete bile is impaired. This leads to bilirubin buildup and jaundice, which in birds often presents as yellowing of tissues and urine (bright yellow urates) with little feces because bile pigments aren’t reaching the gut. Therefore, an enlarged liver accompanied by signs of jaundice best completes the statement. The other descriptions reflect problems not tied to hepatic failure and jaundice, such as hemorrhage from vitamin deficiencies, neurological signs from toxins, or anemia-related pallor, which do not align with the described hepatic pathology.