SDZ quarantine protocol for
birds arriving at SDZ that are NOT immediately destined to return to Guam.
Fecal culturing for acid-fast bacteria.
Admittedly, this is a gross technique. Negative results are essentially
meaningless due to a high percentage of false negative results using this
test. However, a positive result warrant review of a bird's role
in the population dynamics through a medical workup including hematology/serum
chemistry, plasma electrophoresis, liver biopsy, and whole body radiographs.
These data are valuable for case-by-case evaluations, but even more valuable
in the form of a compilation of many cases to establish or refute the usefulness
of fecal culturing for this particular species. Currently, I am recommending
an ongoing program for fecal acid-fast bacterial culture of all captive
Guam rail within the Zoological Society of San Diego every six months to
help evaluate this test as an ATB screening option for the population.
Preshipment recommendations
for interinstitutional shipments NOT involving birds returning to Guam
or Rota Islands.
Compilations and reports
Explore the development of a web-based source for
interested parties to download medical information on Guam rail.
Reference data generation (biological, reproductive,
clinical pathology, radiology, etc.)
Morbidity/mortality reports
Bibliography
Case studies (summaries of previous cases, often
helpful for evaluation of difficult cases)