Macromorphology of the spleen of quails, synanthropic crows and pigeons in ataxia

The spleen in birds is a "marker" of many diseases, including infectious ones, in which ataxia may be observed. Based on the analysis of literature sources and the data of our own studies, obtained by methods of clinical, morphological and statistical studies, information is presented on the linear and weight indicators of the spleens of quails, pigeons and crows, which showed symptoms of nervous system disorders: hypodynamia to a soporous state, piloerection, hypermetria, imbalance in statics and dynamics. The complex of the observed symptoms in quails, synanthropic pigeons and crows are interrelated and can be defined as the "ataxia" syndrome. In ataxia that developed in quails after vaccination, the spleen was smaller in size and weight compared to the control. The spleens of synanthropic pigeons were small in size and had volumetric indices comparable to those of quail spleens (0.29 ± 0.06 and 0.2 5± 0.06 cm3). The spleens of synanthropic crows differed from those of quails and pigeons in their location and macrometric indices: weight – 0.55 ± 0.06 g; volume – 0.56 ± 0.05 cm3. The organ index was the lowest in pigeons (0.12 ± 0.01%) and the highest in crows (0.23 ± 0.02%) with ataxia syndrome. Comparing the results of our own observations and information from literature sources, we concluded that when diagnosing ataxia in synanthropic birds, it is necessary to be wary of infection, despite the absence of macro changes in the spleen. Questions related to changes in the internal structures of the spleen of birds with ataxia remain beyond the scope of this study.