Bella the #kakapo is still undergoing treatment for the #disease cloacitis, and is responding well. Hers was a severe case: one of the worst we’ve recorded. She’s fortunate we found her during routine transmitter changes. #conservation #parrots

What is cloacitis? It’s an inflammation of the cloaca that has been seen in #kakapo since 2002. It’s killed at least one, and would have killed several more without medical intervention. I would show a picture, but you might be eating, so here’s a graph instead :-) #disease

Despite lots of research, we still don’t know what causes #kakapo cloacitis. It could be a pathogen (e.g. virus/bacteria), or perhaps an immune #disease. Early results pointed to a phage (virus infecting a bacteria; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25186371/ ), but that’s not replicated since.

Research into the cause of #kakapo cloacitis is ongoing. We're working with teams looking into environmental aetiologies, #microbiology and #genetics. It’s a worrying #disease, and we hope to learn more soon! #conservation