World’s only flightless parrot doing okay against ‘crusty bum’ disease

With only 237 birds left in the wild, saving New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō is one of the small country’s major conservation projects. These giant, green camouflage experts are threatened by predators, invasive species, human encroachment, and a debilitating illness colloquially called crusty bum disease (exudative cloacitis). 

Crusty bum disease causes inflammation of the lower digestive and reproductive tracts. Birds that contract it can become infertile, which puts strain on their already small populations. It can also be fatal in some cases. Crusty bum disease has been present in the critically endangered kākāpō population for roughly two decades, and is typically treated with pain relief, fluids, and antibiotics. However, with antibiotics comes this risk of antibiotic resistance and changes to gut bacteria.

In some good news for the world’s only flightless parrots, the birds have managed to avoid dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbugs for the time being. The findings are detailed in a study published this week in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

What is the kākāpō?

Once widespread across New Zealand, kākāpō are large flightless parrots that can weigh as much as 8.8 pounds. The birds last lived on mainland New Zealand in the 1980s and were hunted to near extinction. They now live on four offshore islands and at Maungatautari sanctuary (Sanctuary Mountain), a protected natural area in Waikato Region, New Zealand south of Auckland.

Even though they cannot fly, the kākāpō uses its strong claws and bill to climb high into trees to eat. They can also live upwards of 90 years. 

Efforts to preserve the kākāpō include frequent doses of antibiotics to keep them healthy. With the risk of antibiotic resistance, conservationists need to monitor what is going on in their gut bacteria. 

Into the guts

In this recent deep dive into kākāpō guts, a team from the University of Auckland swabbed the cloaca (the cavity at the end of a bird’s digestive tract) of 14 kākāpo’s on two islands for signs of antibiotic resistance. They also focused on a male kākāpō known as Joe who was being treated with antibiotics.

The team found that the birds do contain some potentially antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, these bacteria may have sprung up in their guts naturally, so cautious treatments with antibiotics can continue when treating crusty bum disease or other ailments. 

Additionally, antibiotics have not yet had any negative consequences on the birds and seem to remain effective. There is a risk that microbes in kākāpō could develop antibiotic resistance through antibiotic treatments or through transmission from other birds or even humans taking care of them. With such a small population, and the potential for superbugs to spread, the team says that they will monitor the issue. 

 

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