Occurrence: Worldwide. Species affected: Turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, birds of prey. Age affected: Young to adults. Generally more males than females are affected.

Causes: Gram-negative, spore-forming bacterium- Pasturella multocida. Cats, wild birds and rodents can all act as carriers. Spread from bird to bird by contact. It is a stress disease occurring at point of lay and with seasonal change.

Effects: Peractute death without signs can occur.

Acute disease manifests as high fever, thirst, cyanosis, anorexia and ruffled feathers.

Chronic symptoms are torticollis (backwards retraction of head and neck), emaciation, sever mortality, enlargement of wattles, combs, legs, footpads and wing joints. Swollen sinuses, hocks and joints, dehydration, respiratory distress, drop in egg production and hatchability can also occur.

Turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese and birds of prey can be affected by peracture to chronic fowl cholera. Young adults are most susceptible. It is caused by a gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod, bipolar bacteria, Pasteurella multocida. Variation in pathogenicity occurs between isolates. At least 16 serotypes have been demonstrated, making vaccination difficult.

Sources of infection include carrier birds and clinically diseased poultry that have died from the infection. Wild birds, rodents and cats can all be a source of infection. Spread from infection flocks to healthy flocks with equipment, feed bags and other fomites is possible.

Infected birds which recover become carriers. Relapse of the disease is common in times of stress such as weather change.

Peracute death without signs can occur. Acute disease causes high fever, thirst, cyanotic, anorexia and ruffled feathers.

Chronic disease causes torticollis (retraction of the head and neck backwards), otitis (ear infection) emaciation, severe mortality, enlargement of wattles, combs, legs, footpads and wing joints and peritonitis.

Swollen sinuses and hocks, dehydration, respiratory distress, swollen joints, drop in egg production, fertility and hatchability can also occur.

Peracute disease produces no lesions.

With peracute disease, haemorrhage on heart and fat, conjunctivitis, subepicardial and subserosal haemorrhage, conjested breast and septicaemia can occur.

Laboratory isolation of the organism is diagnositic. Pasturella should be cultured on blood agar or meat infusion media. A lever impression smear stained with Wright’s stain will yield bipolar rods, which are diagnostic.

Peracute septicaemic disease in pullets and large swollen necrotic liver give a presumptive diagnosis.

Vaccinate with a bacterin or a live vaccine. Sixteen serotypes have been demonstrated with limited cross-protection between serotypes. Serotypes 1, 3 and 4 are most common and found in most commercial vaccines.

OTC (100-200 g/ton), Erythromycin, Sulfaquinoxaline and Ormetropin/Trimethoprim (0.125% + 0.0075%), and Sulfamethazine (0.49%) and Flumequine are effective.

Back to "F" Health & Diseases page

Back to main Health & Diseases page