>     I recently had a discussion with my avian vet on this subject 
 > and his information was that there is no indication that finches 
 > cannot contract or carry ornithosis.  They can likewise contract and 
 > carry e. coli, chlamydia and several others.
True. But as far as I know, softbills etc. carry a strain of psittacosis 
(ornithosis, chlamydia) that cannot be passed to hookbills. So if you're 
going to put your birds "on the line" it's probably safest to do it next to 
finches and canaries.
At our bird show last month, I positioned my booth between two others that 
did not have any birds! I was as lucky as I could be under the circumstances!
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