RESUMO
The purpose of this study is to identify pathological findings among pigeon breeders in the Salonica area. Fifty-four volunteer breeders with varying intensity of contact with pigeons participated in the study. All the breeders, after filling in a questionnaire that included questions about the existence of conjunctivitis, rhinitis, chronic cough and sputum, were subjected to clinical examination and spirometric, hematological (arterial and venous), radiographic and immunologic tests. Twenty-five point nine percent of the breeders suffered from conjunctivitis, 31.5% from rhinitis and 33.3% from chronic cough and sputum. Fourteen point eight percent of them had class I precipitins, 7.4% had class II, 5.6% had class III and 16.7% had class IV and a positive correlation of precipitin class with the number of pigeons bred was found. Seven breeders (13%) had hypoxemia at rest and other 8 (14.8%) presented with hypoxemia after the exercise testing. Two breeders presented with a combination of findings of allergic alveolitis that satisfied the criteria of the Pigeon Breeders' Disease (PBD). A substantial number of the examined pigeon breeders were sensitized to pigeon serum antigens. Arterial hypoxemia, either at rest and/or after exercise was observed in 27.8% of breeders. Three point seven percent of breeders presented with clinical and laboratory findings consistent with PBD. Chronic cough and sputum in pigeon breeders should be considered as a possible manifestation of PBD.