POULTRY DISEASES

Pulsed-®eld gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and random ampli®ed polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis were used to compare 21 Mycoplasma gallisepticum strains and ®ve M. imitans strains. Each strain of M. gallisepticum typed by PFGE and RAPD methods was genetically quite unique and RAPD and PFGE ®ngerprinting enabled strain characterization. Relationships between the M. gallisepticum and M. imitans strains were established and dendrograms were drawn from PFGE and RAPD patterns. PFGE group A and RAPD group D were signi®cantly associated with M. imitans strains (P < 0.05). Three M. imitans strains shared the same PFGE and RAPD patterns. The two M. gallisepticum vaccine strains had singular PFGE and RAPD patterns. Thus, PFGE and RAPD can be used to investigate disease outbreaks in vaccinated¯ocks or for epidemiological tracking. For M. gallisepticum, the RAPD and PFGE discriminatory powers were superior to 0.95 and the in vitro, in ovo and in vivo reproducibility of RAPD and PFGE was 100%. The RAPD drawback was the inconsistent band intensity complicating the interpretation of patterns, while the PFGE limit was its low typeability (86%). Thus, these two molecular typing methods seemed complementary for M. gallisepticum epidemiological studies.

Since Þrst discovered in the New York City area in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has become established over much of the continental United States and has been responsible for Ͼ10,000 cases of severe disease and 400 human fatalities, as well as thousands of fatal infections in horses. To develop appropriate surveillance and control strategies, the identiÞcation of which mosquito species are competent vectors and how various factors inßuence their ability to transmit this virus must be determined. Therefore, we evaluated numerous mosquito species for their ability to transmit WNV under laboratory conditions. This report contains data for several mosquito species not reported previously, as well as a summary of transmission data compiled from previously reported studies.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence of pathogenic mycoplasma species in the turkey population of Turkey. Tracheal samples randomly collected from a total of 624 apparently healthy meat-type turkeys at a commercial abattoir located in the north of the country were examined by culture and genus- and species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for mycoplasma. In the direct plating onto solid specific media, mycoplasma growth was observed from 1.4% (9/624) of the samples, which were confirmed to belong to the Mycoplasma genus by genus-specific PCR. Mycoplasma iowae (MI) and M. meleagridis (MM) were identified by the species-specific PCR from eight and one of the samples, respectively. However, genus-specific PCR amplification was obtained from 2.6% (16/624) of the samples which produced turbidity in the liquid media. Interestingly, these positive samples were different from those obtained from solid agar and mycoplasma growth was not observed whe...

Marek's disease virus (MDV) isolated from poultry flocks in three states of India was monitored for the virus occurrence in the field. The MDV genome was isolated from feather follicles, spleen, and liver of the chicken (173 samples). Twenty two samples were positive for MDV genome in PCR and belonged to the serotype 1. The sequencing of MEQ gene of 11 samples revealed that nucleotide sequences of the isolate Ind-KA-01-06 was similar to the very virulent MDV, strain RB-1B. In situ hybridization studies also confirmed a presence of MDV serotype 1 in the infected liver tissues. Furthermore, the ability of the virus to induce apoptosis detected by flow cytometry showed that the virulent MDV induced apoptosis more efficiently than Turkey herpesvirus (HVT) vaccine virus. The present study showed the presence of virulent/very virulent MDV strains in the Indian poultry flocks.

Our objective was to assess the association of managerial practices, general hygiene and Salmonella infection in Senegalese broiler flocks. Seventy broilers farms were studied from January 2000 to December 2001 around Dakar. A questionnaire was submitted to the farmers and samples of fresh broiler droppings were taken. A 28.6% of the flocks were infected by Salmonella (mainly Hadar and Brancaster serovars). Salmonella infection of the previous flock (OR = 6.82) and of day-old chicks (OR = 3.73), frequent poultry farmers' visits (OR = 5.38) and keeping sick birds inside the farm (OR = 5.32) increased the risk of Salmonella infection. But, using antibiotics on day-old chicks (OR = 0.17) and a detergent for cleaning (OR = 0.16) decreased the risk.

During the period from July 2002 to June 2003, infectious bursal disease (IBD) was suspected in 101 commercial flocks of broiler chickens on the basis of clinical and post mortem findings in some districts of the Haryana state, India. Bursal samples were collected randomly from 20 flocks for the detection of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested PCR assay. IBDV could be detected in 17 samples as evidenced by amplification of 643 bp fragment of the very variable region of VP2 gene of virus by agarose gel electrophoresis. The authenticity of the amplicons was further confirmed by nested PCR generating amplicons of 552 bp using internal primers.

In the current study with broiler chickens, the objective was to assess whether a mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) preparation would have anticoccidial activity. One-day-old birds were given a single, mild coccidiosis infection with a mixture of three Eimeria species Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima and Eimeria tenella. Infected and non-infected birds were fed a diet without or with 10g/kg MOS. Growth performance, feed intake and feed conversion were not different (P>0.05) among the treatment groups. The feeding of the MOS preparation reduced oocyst excretion and diminished the severity of coccidiosis lesions induced by E. acervulina (P<0.05) but did not affect the lesions mediated by E. maxima and E. tenella (P=0.69 and P=0.84 respectively). Further research is necessary to explain the observed effects in terms of mechanisms and to assess their practical relevance.

An infectious bursal disease (IBD) outbreak occurred in the east region of Spain in the spring of 2002 and rapidly spread thorough the whole country, although proper vaccination programs were applied. In this report, 33 infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs) isolated from this outbreak were characterized by nucleotide sequencing of the VP2 gene hypervariable region and were compared with reference IBD strains and the 1990s Spanish IBDVs in order to determine possible emergence of IBDV isolates with modified antigenic or virulent properties. Moreover, histopathologic and immunohistochemical studies of those cases where bursal tissues were available were carried out. Of the 33 isolates, 23 were identified as very virulent IBDVs (vvIBDVs), whereas the other 10 isolates were classified as attenuated or intermediate virulence classical strains and could possibly be IBDV live vaccine strains used in the immunization of these chickens. Results of this study indicate that vvIBDV isolates from the 2002 Spanish outbreak are closely related with those from the 1990s outbreak. However, acute IBD cases have not been reported in Spain during these 10 yr. Genetic, management, and environmental factors likely related with IBD reemergence in Spain are discussed. Moreover, our results indicate that good correlation exists between the IBDV subtype present in the field and the degree of lesions in bursa tissue, as well as the immunohistochemistry staining.

In the present study, we describe the development of a DNA vaccine against chicken anemia virus. The VP1 and VP2 genes of CAV were amplified and cloned into pBudCE4.1 to construct two DNA vaccines, namely, pBudVP1 and pBudVP2-VP1. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that co-expression of VP1 with VP2 are required to induce significant levels of antibody against CAV. Subsequently, the vaccines were tested in 2-week-old SPF chickens. Chickens immunized with the DNA-plasmid pBudVP2-VP1 showed positive neutralizing antibody titer against CAV. Furthermore, VP1-specific proliferation induction of splenocytes and also high serum levels of Th1 cytokines, IL-2 and IFN-␥ were detected in the pBudVP2-VP1-vaccinated chickens. These results suggest that the recombinant DNA plasmid co-expressing VP1 and VP2 can be used as a potential DNA vaccine against CAV.

Colibacillosis accounts for significant losses to the poultry industry, and control efforts are hampered by limited understanding of the mechanisms used by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) to cause disease. We have found that the presence of the increased serum survival gene (iss) is strongly associated with APEC but not with commensal E. coli, making iss, and the protein it encodes (Iss), candidate targets of colibacillosis control procedures. To assess the potential of Iss to elicit a protective response in chickens against APEC challenge, Iss fusion proteins were produced and administered subcutaneously to four groups of 2-wk-old specific-pathogen-free leghorn chickens. At 4 wk postimmunization, birds were challenged with APEC from serogroups O2 and O78 via intramuscular injection. At 2 wk postchallenge, birds were necropsied, and lesions consistent with colibacillosis were scored. Also, sera were collected from the birds pre-and postimmunization, and antibody titers to Iss were determined. Immunized birds produced a humoral response to Iss, and they had significantly lower lesion scores than the unimmunized control birds following challenge with both APEC strains. Birds that received the smallest amount of immunogen had the lowest lesion scores. Although further study will be needed to confirm the value of Iss as an immunoprotective antigen, these preliminary data suggest that Iss may have the potential to elicit significant protection in birds against heterologous E. coli challenge.

Sodium butyrate is a sodium salt of a volatile short-chain fatty acid (butyric acid) used to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis infection in birds. Three groups of fifty 1-d-old broilers each were fed the following diets: T0 = standard broiler diet (control); T1 = standard broiler diet supplemented with 0.92 g/kg of an additive with free sodium butyrate (Gustor XXI B92); and T2 = standard broiler diet supplemented with 0.92 g/kg of an additive with sodium butyrate partially protected with vegetable fats (Gustor XXI BP70). Twenty percent of the birds were orally infected with Salmonella Enteritidis at d 5 posthatching and fecal Salmonella shedding was assessed at d 6, 9, 13, 20, 27, 34, and 41 of the trial. At d 42, all birds were slaughtered and 20 of them dissected: crop, cecum, liver, and spleen were sampled for bacteriological analyses. Both butyrate-based additives showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of Salmonella Enteritidis infection in birds from d 27 onward. However, the partially protected butyrate additive was more effective at the late phase of infection. Partially protected butyrate treatment successfully decreased infection not only in the crop and cecum but also in the liver. There were no differences in the spleen. These results suggest that sodium butyrate partially protected with vegetable fats offers a unique balance of free and protected active substances effective all along the gastrointestinal tract because it is slowly released during digestion.

A 2-year-old, 3.8-kg male Rhode Island red rooster was examined for lameness and progressive swelling of the right foot of several month's duration. Radiographs of the right foot demonstrated soft tissue swelling and a smoothly marginated periosteal reaction evident of inflammation affecting the bones. Results of a complete blood count showed a moderate leukocytosis and an elevated total protein concentration. Systemic antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy was started, but the bird had not improved at recheck examination. After intravenous catheterization of the medial metatarsal vein and placing a tourniquet at the femoral-tibiotarsal joint of the right leg, regional limb perfusion with amikacin and flunixin meglumine was performed. Dimensions of both feet were measured with digital calipers, and surface temperatures of the feet were measured with an infrared thermometer. The rooster had improved activity level with decrease in lameness and measurable decrease in swelling of the right foot. Regional limb perfusion with intravenous antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is a viable treatment modality in avian species for suspected distal limb infection and cellulitis. This technique has potential valuable implications for a variety of avian species. Fluid support should be provided if using nephrotoxic drugs.

The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from faecal samples from 117 poultry industry workers, 100 patients and119 healthy chicken were compared. Resistance of E. coli chicken isolates to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, spectinomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim ϩ sulphamethoxazole (TMP ϩ SMX) (range 57% -99.1%) were significantly higher than those isolated from patients (range 21.9% -71.4%) and workers (range 35% -71.8%). However, for drugs not used in poultry, such as amoxicillin ϩ cluvalanate (AMX ϩ CLV), ceftazidime and nitrofurantoin, resistance rates of chicken isolates (range 0% -2.6%) were significantly lower than those of patient isolates (range 8.7% -30%). Resistance to spectinomycin reached 96% in E. coli chicken isolates and 71% in organisms isolated from humans. Use of this drug in Saudi Arabia is mostly limited to veterinary purposes. Multidrug resistance is alarmingly high in all groups but was highest in chicken isolates (77.4%). Serotyping of E. coli isolates showed that 27% of the organisms isolated from patients were overlapping with 10.9% of the chicken isolates, indicating the possibility of chicken being a source of the resistance pool for humans. We therefore call for the banning of antibiotics in the poultry industry as growth promoters and recommend that their use be restricted to treating infections.

Eighty isolates of Riemerella anatipestifer representing 71 outbreaks of riemerellosis in Thailand between 1994 and 1999 were serotyped using the gel diffusion precipitin test. Based on the precipitation patterns, 25 serological profiles containing one to three antigenic determinants were recognized. Heatstable antigens of the organism reacted with antisera raised against 16 known serotypes and an untypable strain 698/ 95. The most prevalent serotype appeared to be serotype 7, followed by serotypes 5, 10, 21 and 1. Further study demonstrated that the untypable strain probably represents a new serotype. Analysis of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified rrs genes for restriction fragment length polymorphisms verified the inclusion of strain 698/ 95 within the species R. anatipestifer and supported earlier work excluding strain 670/ 89, which had originally been designated the reference strain of serotype 20. Therefore, it is suggested that the strain 698/ 95 could be adopted as a replacement for the reference strain of serotype 20. Attention should be paid to strains with multiple antigenic factors as they may be useful for the preparation of vaccines.

In 2004/05, all European Union member states were required to carry out standardised prevalence surveys to establish the baseline prevalence of Salmonella in commercial laying flocks. As part of the survey in Great Britain, additional data were collected from 380 of the enrolled laying hen holdings to investigate risk factors for Salmonella at farm level. Stratified, simple random sampling was used to select holdings from which dust and boot swab samples were collected and tested for Salmonella using a modification of ISO 6579:2002. Using a multivariable logistic model weighted to account for the survey design, several factors significantly associated with Salmonella and Salmonella Enteritidis status were identified. Larger holdings (≥30,000 birds) were found to be at higher risk of Salmonella odds ratio [OR] 4.79, P=0.025), while vaccination (OR 0.28, P=0.013), providing foot dips with brushes (OR 0.27, P=0.042), washing and disinfecting the house at depopulation (OR 0.19, P=0.003), having a clean car park away from house (OR 0.14, P=0.001), using an independent (OR 0.19, P=0.007) or other non-company (OR 0.40, P=0.049) source of feed, being over 1 km from the nearest neighbouring farm (OR 0.45, P=0.021) and the presence of cats and dogs on the farm (OR 0.26, P=0.002) or on contiguous farms (OR 0.44, P=0.030) reduced the risk of any Salmonella serovars being present. Factors found to be associated specifically with an increased risk of S Enteritidis infection included holding size (OR 14.88, P=0.001) and frequent sightings of rats (OR 8.17, P<0.001) or mice (OR 5.78, P=0.006). Non-caged systems (OR 0.14, P=0.002), vaccination (OR 0.08, P=0.001), the use of a non-company feed source (OR 0.11, P=0.003), running the site as all-in/all-out (OR 0.06, P<0.001) and the presence of cats and dogs on the farm (OR 0.14, P=0.002) were associated with a reduced risk.

The objective of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay for rapid identification of Campylobacter jejuni and to apply the method in analyzing samples from poultry processing. A C. jejuni-specific primer set targeting a portion of the C. jejuni hippuricase gene was developed. The specificity of the newly designed primer pair was verified using 5 C. jejuni strains and 20 other bacterial strains. Sensitivity was determined to be as low as 1 genome copy per reaction. A total of 73 samples were collected at different sites along the processing line during 2 visits to a poultry slaughterhouse and were examined by direct plating onto modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar or after enrichment in Bolton broth followed by plating on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar. The newly developed real-time PCR assay was used to identify the presumptive colonies as belonging to C. jejuni. A real-time PCR assay targeting 16S ribosomal RNA was also applied to determine Ca...

From 2006 to 2008, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) virus of the H5N1 subtype occurred among poultry in Nigeria. We described the spatio-temporal patterns of the HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in Nigeria. Data of suspected and laboratory confirmed outbreaks maintained at the National Veterinary Research Institute Vom was analyzed using descriptive and exploratory analyses, GIS mapping, global and local spatial statistical analyses using the Cuzick-Edwards' (C-E) test and SaTScan Space-Time Scan Statistic. A total of 1654 suspected outbreaks were reported from 32 of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 299 were confirmed HPAI H5N1 positive from 27 states and FCT. The outbreaks occurred as three distinct epidemic waves with peak periods of January-March mainly in the North-West, North-Central and North-East regions during 2006 and 2007 and July-September in the South-West and South-South regions in 2007.

Although in¯uenza viruses can infect a wide variety of birds and mammals, the natural host of the virus is wild waterfowl, shorebirds, and gulls. When other species of animals, including chickens, turkeys, swine, horses, and humans, are infected with in¯uenza viruses, they are considered aberrant hosts. The distinction between the normal and aberrant host is important when describing virus evolution in the different host groups. The evolutionary rate of in¯uenza virus in the natural host reservoirs is believed to be slow, while in mammals the rate is much higher. The higher rate of evolution in mammals is thought to be a result of selective pressure on the virus to adapt to an aberrant host species. Chickens and turkey in¯uenza virus isolates have previously and incorrectly been lumped together with wild waterfowl, gull, and shorebird in¯uenza viruses when determining rates of evolutionary change. To determine mutational and evolutionary rates of a virus in any host species, two primary assumptions must be met: ®rst, all isolates included in the analysis must have descended from a single introduction of the virus, and second, the outbreak must continue long enough to determine a trend. For poultry, three recent outbreaks of avian in¯uenza meet these criteria, and the sequences of the hemagglutinin and nonstructural genes were compared. Sequences from all three outbreaks were compared to an avian in¯uenza virus consensus sequence, which at the amino acid level is highly conserved for all the internal viral proteins. The consensus sequence also provides a common point of origin to compare all in¯uenza viruses. The evolutionary rates determined for all three outbreaks were similar to what is observed in mammals, providing strong evidence of adaptation of in¯uenza to the new host species, chickens and turkeys. #

ABSTRACT Guava (Psidium guajava) fruit is vulnerable to postharvest diseases, such as anthracnose. In the present study, molecular characterisation and pathogenicity of Colletotrichum associated with antharcnose disease of guava fruit were conducted. From anthracnose lesion of guava, 20 isolates were successfully recovered. Based on colony colours, conidia, appressoria and presence or absence of setae, and ITS regions and ß-tubulin gene sequences, the isolates were identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Phylogenetic analysis based on combined data-sets using neighbour-joining method showed that C. gloeosporioides isolates did not group with C. gloeosporioides epitype strain, and thus the isolates were referred to as C. gloeosporioides species complex or C. gloeosporioides sensu lato. Pathogenicity tests using wounded treatment showed that C. gloeosporioides isolates from guava were pathogenic causing anthracnose on the fruits. The present study showed that C. gloeosporioides sensu lato is the most common species causing antharcnose disease of guava fruit.

Avian influenza virus (AIV) causes great economic losses for the poultry industry worldwide and threatens the human population with a pandemic. The conventional detection method for AIV involves sample preparation of viral RNA extraction and purification from raw sample such as bird droppings. In this study, magnetic beads were applied for immunoseparation and purification of AIV from spiked chicken fecal sample. The beads were conjugated with monoclonal antibodies against the AIV nucleoprotein, which is conserved in all the AIV. The bead-captured virus was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) without RNA extraction because of effective removal of RT-PCR inhibitors. The developed bead-based assay showed a similar detection limit comparable to the RNA extraction and the classic virus isolation method. Using ready-to-use antibody-conjugated bead, the method requires less than 5 h. Furthermore, the method has potential to integrate into a Lab-on-a-chip system for rapid detection and identification of AIV. Crown

Fifty eight (58) samples of cereals for human consumption (20 corn flour, 17 wheat flour) and poultry feeds (n = 21) purchased from popular markets of Rabat in Morocco were analyzed for aflatoxins (AF) by HPLC with immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up and fluorimetric detection. The incidence of AF in corn, wheat flour and poultry feeds was about 80, 17.6 and 66.6% respectively. High contamination levels were found in corn and poultry feeds samples. Levels of contamination of analyzed samples with AFB1 ranged from 0.23 to 11.2, 0.03 to 0.15 and 0.05 to 5.38 ng/g for corn, wheat and poultry feeds respectively. Results showed also that the contamination of 10% of samples of corn was higher than the limit set by EU regulations for AFB1 and total AF. This is the first report on the determination of AF in corn, wheat and poultry feeds from Morocco by HPLC and IAC.

Background: The laying hen model of spontaneous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is unique in that it is the only model that enables observations of early events in disease progression and is therefore also uniquely suited for chemoprevention trials. Previous studies on the effect of dietary flaxseed in laying hens have revealed the potential for both amelioration and prevention of ovarian cancer. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of flaxseed on genes and pathways that are dysregulated in tumors. We have used a bioinformatics approach to identify these genes, followed by qPCR validation, immunohistochemical localization, and in situ hybridization to visualize expression in normal ovaries and tumors from animals fed a control diet or a diet containing 10% flaxseed.

Escherichia coli Vacuolating Factor (ECVF) is a heat-labile, vacuolating cytotoxin produced by avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) isolated from avian cellulitis lesions. In this report, we intend to demonstrate that purified ECVF induces the inflammatory process of cellulitis. Our group is the first to demonstrate the effect of ECVF in a histological analysis by in situ inoculation of broiler chickens with purified ECVF. The animals were inoculated with the APEC AC53 and with purified ECVF subcutaneously on their ventral surface (in the sternum region). The histological analysis showed different grades of an acute inflammatory response in the epidermis, dermis and panniculus. An increase in mRNA expression of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-a was also demonstrated in the inflamed tissue. When ECVF was systemically administered, increased levels of TNF-a and IL-10 were observed in the serum. These results suggest that ECVF plays a key role in the inflammatory process associated with cellulitis that is mainly mediated by TNF-a. In addition, this inflammation can be downregulated by the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. ß

Background and Aim: Since 2017, there have been epidemics with respiratory disorders in the laying hen farms in Algeria, as signs and lesions, respiratory difficulties, and hemorrhagic tracheitis, which closely like laryngotracheitis. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological, serological, and clinical indicators, as well as the risk factors, of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in layer hen flocks in Algeria.

Materials and Methods: A total of 1728 layer hens were sampled randomly from 48 poultry houses. Blood samples were collected from each hen at the wing vein area, and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was done using an IDvet® kit.

Results: The flocks showed 56.25% seroprevalence. Clinical signs and gross lesions of ILT suspect cases included respiratory signs characterized by hemorrhagic tracheitis and sinusitis; conjunctivitis; egg drop; and a low mortality rate varying from 5% to 20%. Statistical analyses showed the effect of risk factors on the seropositivity for ILT in 48 layer flocks. When the vaccination was not applied, flocks were significantly more seropositive by 54% (odds ratio OR=1.54, p=0.01) compared to vaccinated flocks. Furthermore, flocks with poor hygiene were more seropositive by 68% (OR=1.68, p=0.002) compared to those with good hygiene. Finally, flocks with decreased egg production between 10% and 30% were significantly more seropositive by 42% (OR=1.42, p=0.04) than those with egg production >30%.

Conclusion: The serological survey revealed anti-ILT virus antibodies, signifying the circulation of this virus in layer hen farms in Algeria. Correct vaccination protocol, strict biosecurity measures, rapid diagnosis, and detection of latent carriers are necessary to control and eradicate the disease from layer farms.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 3 diet formulations containing different protein sources (animal, plant, and a combination of animal and plant) on the colonization of Campylobacter jejuni in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens. A freshly isolated strain of C. jejuni (biotype IV, serotype HS O:21, O:29, HL untypable) from a broiler chicken was used to infect 3-day-old chicks that had been free of C. jejuni; 0.5 mL of an inoculum containing 10(8) colony-forming units was administered orally. Shedding of the organism was studied, and C. jejuni in the ceca, jejuni, and crop were enumerated by quantitative culture. The isolates recovered from the birds during the study period of 35 d were characterized and confirmed as C. jejuni by the use of standard methods and underwent biotyping, serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion and the E-test, and flagellin gene typing. A cyclical pattern of shedding of C. jejuni was observed in ...

Transmissible viral proventriculitis (TVP) was experimentally reproduced in 2-wk-old specific-pathogen-free chickens and commercial broiler chickens by eyedrop inoculation of adenovirus-like virus (AdLV), isolate R11/3. No clinical signs and no weight gain depression were observed in chickens inoculated with AdLV (R11/3); however, gross and microscopic lesions characteristic of TVP were present in proventriculi of inoculated chickens. Proventriculi of AdLV (R11/3)-inoculated chickens were markedly enlarged, compared with sham-inoculated controls, by day 7 postinoculation (PI). Microscopic lesions in proventriculi of inoculated chickens were detected beginning on day 3 PI and consisted of degeneration and necrosis of glandular epithelium, ductal epithelial hyperplasia, replacement of glandular epithelium with ductal epithelium, and diffuse interstitial lymphoid infiltration; no microscopic lesions were observed in other tissues. AdLV (R11/3) antigens were detected in proventriculi by immunohistochemistry on days 3-10 PI in inoculated SPF chickens and days 3-21 PI in inoculated commercial broiler chickens; no viral antigens were detected in other tissues. AdLV (R11/3) was reisolated from proventriculi of inoculated SPF and commercial broiler chickens on days 5 and 7 PI. No virus, viral antigens, or lesions were detected in proventriculi collected from sham-inoculated chickens. These findings indicate an etiologic role for AdLV (R11/3) in TVP.

A recent European Union Directive required member states to put monitoring and control programmes in place, of which vaccination is a central component. Live Salmonella vaccines generally confer better protection than killed vaccines, because the former stimulate both cell-mediated and humoral immunity. Administering Salmonella bacteria orally to newly hatched chickens results in extensive gut colonization and a strong adaptive immune stimulus but broiler chickens are immunologically immature. However, colonization exerts a variety of rapid (within 24 h) protective effects. These include specific colonization-inhibition (competitive exclusion) in which the protective bacteria exert a profound resistance to establishment and colonization by other related bacteria. This is thought to be primarily a metabolic attribute of the vaccinating bacteria but may also involve competition for attachment sites. The presence of large numbers of bacteria originating from a live Salmonella vaccine in the intestine can also induce infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells into the intestinal wall, which confers resistance to invasion and systemic spread by virulent Salmonella strains. This opens new perspectives for vaccine usage in broilers, layers and breeding poultry but also in other animals which show increased susceptibility to infection because of their young age or for other reasons, such as oral chemoprophylaxis or chemotherapy, where the lack of established normal gut flora is an issue. We recommend that all live vaccines considered for oral administration should be tested for their ability to induce the two protective effects described above. Further developments in live Salmonella vaccines are, however, currently hindered by fears associated with the use and release of live vaccines which may be genetically modified.

In 1995 research was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago with the aim of collecting knowledge on ethnoveterinary medicines in order to lay a foundation for further scientific study and validation. This paper describes only the ethnoveterinary practices used in the poultry sub-sector. A four stage process was used to conduct the research and document these ethnoveterinary practices. 28 ethnoveterinary respondents were identified using a modified Rapid Rural Appraisal Ž . RRA technique, the student essay method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these respondents as well as with 30 veterinarians, 27 extension officers and 19 animal health assistantsragricultural officers, and the 7 key respondents that they identified. 5 participatory workshops were then held with 55 of the respondents interviewed to discuss the data generated from the interviews and to determine dosages for some of the plants mentioned. 12 plant species were used to treat 4 categories of health problems common to poultry production. Aloe Õera, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Citrus sp. and Momordica charantia were the main medicinal plants being used. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

In humans, metabolic complaints may be associated with a failure in one of the body hormone or enzyme systems, a storage disease related to lack of metabolism of secretory products because of the lack of production of a specific enzyme, or the breakdown or reduced activity of some metabolic function. Some of these disorders also occur in poultry, as do other important conditions such as those associated with increased metabolism, rapid growth or high egg production that result in the failure of a body system because of the increased work-load on an organ or system. These make up the largest group of poultry diseases classified as metabolic disorders and cause more economic loss than infectious agents.

In vitro and in ovo virus neutralization assays were conducted to assess the role of different host systems in infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) antigenic and immunogenic variation. Four different strains, two variant (1084 E and GLS) and two standard (Edgar and STC), were propagated separately in the bursa of Fabricius and embryos, and were compared with cell culture-adapted preparations of the homologous strains. Chicken polyclonal antisera were prepared against each IBDV and neutralizing antibody titres were determined. Normalized IBDV antibody concentrations were used in neutralization assays against homologous and heterologous IBDVs in 10-day-old specific pathogen free embryos. Both antigenic and immunogenic changes occurred in IBDVs evaluated, as evidenced by differences in the ability of normalized antibody to neutralize IBDV propagated in different host systems. Antibody induced by bursal-derived IBDV neutralized all isolates equally well, whereas antibody induced by cell culture-derived virus neutralized bursal-derived IBDV much less effectively.

A pulley-block system for elevating sentinel chicken coops was designed to conduct mosquito-borne virus surveillance in the forest canopy. This modified design allows traditional captive sentinel bird cages to be hoisted easily to the desired height and lowered at regular intervals for routine maintenance and sampling of the flocks. The design specifications of this canopy system are modifications that can easily be incorporated to existing rabbit hutches used in ground-level captive sentinel systems.

I am very pleased to send our revisions for the manuscript entitled "Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Isolated from chicken carcasses and environment at slaughter in Reunion Island: prevalence, genetic characterization and antibiotic susceptibility". I took into account the comments of the editor-in-chief and I complied with all of them.

Clinical, pathoanatomical, histological, and bacteriological studies were performed on broiler chickens, growing broiler parents, and growing egg layers, in three different poultry farms, after an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The method of contamination of the birds was established. Several local and systemic clinico-morphological forms of spontaneous P. aeruginosa infections in various categories of stock birds were described: cases of P. aeruginosa infection resulting from injection of contaminated vaccines; case of P. aeruginosa infections through contaminated aerosol vaccine and cases of pododermatitis, periarthritis and arthritis in broiler chickens associated with P. aeruginosa infection. In different cases mortality range between 0.5 and 50%. The results showed that apart from embryonic mortality in hatcheries, and septicemic infections in newly hatched chickens, the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa was associated with localized and systemic lesions in this category, as well as in young and growing birds. On one hand, these results have a theoretical significance, contributing for the confirmation and expansion of the wide array of clinico-morphological forms of P. aeruginosa infections in birds. On the other hand, the knowledge on these forms has a purely practical significance in the diagnostics of P. aeruginosa infections by poultry pathologists and veterinary practitioners. ©2013 PVJ. All rights reserved To Cite This Article: Dinev I, S Denev and G Beev, 2013. Clinical and morphological studies on spontaneous cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in birds. Pak Vet J, 33(3): 398-400.

Official post-mortem inspection records of poultry in 11 industrial poultry abattoirs in the Fars province, southern Iran, between 20 March 2002 and 19 March 2006 were used to investigate the character and prevalence of poultry loss caused by disease and pathological changes in the province. Linear regression analysis for study of time trend and chi2-test for investigation of seasonal pattern were used as statistical methods. In the study period, 130,967,021 birds were slaughtered. As a result of official veterinary inspection, 959,416 (0.73%) birds were condemned. The condemnation risk was calculated for each quarter in a year. Cachexia and septicemia were the most common reasons for rejection of carcasses and were responsible for 62% of the total condemnations. The condemnation risk due to septicemia increased over the study period from 0.14 to 0.22%. The rejection risk due to overscalding declined over the study period from 0.07 to 0.01%. No trends in time were observed for the o...

Abbreviation Key: AET = apparent equivalent temperature; BVA = British Veterinary Association; CK = creatine kinase; DOA = dead on arrival; GAS = General Adaptation Syndrome; H:L = heterophil: lymphocyte ratio; HPA = hypothalamo-adenohypophyseal axis; pCO 2 = postal pressure of carbon dioxide; RH = relative humidity; SAS = sympatho-adrenal system; TI = tonic immobility; VD = water vapor density; VP = water vapor pressure.