Occurrence: Worldwide. Species affected: All. Age affected: All.

Causes: Non-motile gram negative bacterium- Salmonella pullorum.

Effects: Young birds have a pasted vent. White diarrhoea, huddling, lameness, somnolence (sleepiness), laboured breathing and blindness can occur. Mortality peaks at 7-10 days with up to 100% mortality and/or morbidity. Adults usually have subclinical disease, or a drop in egg production, fertility, or hatchability may occur. Occasionally see depression, anorexia, diarrhoea and dehydration. S. pullorum normally affects young birds, while S. typhimurium normally affects older birds.

All species of bird of all ages are susceptible to this acute to chronic disease (acute in young birds and chronic in older flocks). The agent involved in the aetiology of the disease is Salmonella pullorum, which is a non-motile, non-spore or capsule forming gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria.

Vertically spread through egg (transovarian) or on egg (by faecal contamination) or by feed and water contamination, contamination incubators, exploding eggs, and bird to bird (horizontal) transmission.

It is species specific (occurs in birds only)

It is a notifiable disease. It has been eradicated from most commercial flocks, but is still common in backyard flocks and commercial flocks in third world countries. A few isolated outbreaks of pullorum have occasionally occurred in broiler breeder and parent stocks.

Young birds have a pasted vent. White diarrhoea, huddling, lameness, somnolence (sleepy), laboured breathing and blindness can occur.

Mortality peaks at 7-10 days with up to 100% mortality and/or morbidity and/or morbidity.

Adults are usually infected subclinically and a drop in egg production, fertility or hatchability may occur. Depression, anorexia (won’t eat), diarrhoea and dehydration are occasionally seen.

Young birds have a red-streaked liver, enlarged spleen and grey nodules in the peritoneum.

White caecal plug, misshapen yolk and omphalitis (swollen navel) can occur. White areas on gizzard, liver, heart, lungs, swollen joints urate filled kidneys may be seen.

Adults have misshapen ovaries, testicular abscesses or may be atrophic, swollen joints, nodular myocarditis (inflammation of the cardiac muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the sac around the heart).

There is no definitive diagnosis based on signs or lesion. Organism should be cultured on Salmonella-Shigella, brilliant green, MacConkey’s or Triple sugar iron agar.

It is a notifiable disease. It simulates paratyphoid and colibaccillosis.

Testing of breeder flocks by serum aggulatination or enzyme linked immuneosorbent assay (ELISA). Have a good rodent control program in place, as rodents are often carriers of the bacterium.

Spraying and/or fumigation of eggs with formaldehyde. Place paraformaldehyde pellets in nests. Spray eggs in house with 2.5% hydrogen peroxide and 1% quaternary ammonia. Pellet feed to kill bacteria, more difficult to heat inactive bacteria in feed high in energy (5% fat), NF-180® (0.011%) (Neomycin 35g/t). Heating process during Pelleting kills bacteria. National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) monitors hatcheries for Salmonella in the US.

Most countries have a national program for the control of Salmonella pullorum Irradiation of feed to kill bacteria.

For young birds only if allowed by local legislation. In many countries, destruction is obligatory. Antibody positive breeders are destroyed.

NF-180® Furazolidone* (feed) (0.055%), Sulfonamide (0.5) in starter mash, 50-100 g/t. (Furox®), *Furacin in water, * Neomycin 70-140 g/t and sulfa drugs in water of young birds will treat the signs.

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