Abstract
This study aimed to determine the echocardiographic parameters of blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva, Linnaeus, 1758) with varying body condition scores. Thirty-five birds only grown in captivity were included in the study and allocated into three different groups according to their respective body condition scores: Lean, Ideal, and Obese. The group of obese parrots presented lower right ventricle dimensions in diastole than lean parrots. The fractional shortening was considerably lower in obese parrots than in parrots with lean and ideal body condition scores but without statistical significance. The flow rate and the aortic pressure gradient were lower in the lean group than in the ideal group. The alterations in the nutritional state of captive blue-fronted amazon parrots may lead to cardiovascular dysfunctions detected through an echocardiographic evaluation, which represents an important diagnostic tool for these animals. The description of the techniques and the measures obtained in this study can contribute to future research in the area.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank everyone involved in this study and, specifically, to the Wildlife Medicine and Research Center (CEMPAS, Centro de Medicina e Pesquisa em Animais Selvagens) and School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection, data analysis, and manuscript preparation were performed by Gisele Junqueira dos Santos, Amanda Sarita Cruz Aleixo, Alícia Giolo Hippólito and Barbara Sardela Ferro under the supervision of Alessandra Melchert, Priscylla Tatiana Chalfun Guimarães Okamoto, Maria Lucia Gomes Lourenço, Vania Maria de Vasconcelos Machado, Paulo Roberto Rodrigues Ramos, Sheila Canevese Rahal, and Carlos Roberto Teixeira. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA, Comitê de Ética em Uso Animal) at School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil, protocol number 183/2015, and by the Biodiversity Authorization and Information System (SISBIO, Sistema de Autorização e Informação em Biodiversidade), protocol number 81121252.
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The pre-print DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/712273
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dos Santos, G.J., Aleixo, A.S.C., Hippólito, A.G. et al. Are echocardiographic parameters affected by body condition scores in blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva, Linnaeus, 1758)?. Vet Res Commun 46, 749–755 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-022-09894-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-022-09894-8