Disease Management

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
1. Fowl cholera- (P.multocida)
      Poultry, Turkey and Duck

Important symptoms

In acute cases birds may die without showing any symptom. In less severe form breathing rapid- open beak, feather ruffled, comb and wattle become cyanotic. There may be yellowish diarrhoea. In chronic form swollen comb and wattle, joints hot and painful. In duck acute haemorrhagic enteritis and oozing of blood from oral cavity noticed. Sudden death will be occurring.

Specimens to be collected
Blood smear from ailing bird, spleen, liver, lung etc. from sacrificed or dead bird in separate cover (on ice), long bones from putrefied carcass in charcoal packing. In chronic case smear from wattle.

Diagnosis
Demonstration of organism in blood smear, isolation of organism from internal organs, isolation of the organism from long bone, in chronic case it is difficult to demonstrate the organism in blood. Smear from wattle is used, biological method using pigeon.

Control / Treatment
Treatment: Sulpha drugs and TMP combination, Enrofloxacin are effective. Drugs like Flamequin, Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, Chlortetracycline and Novobiocin are also used.
1. Killed vaccine
2. Formalin’s vaccines with adjuvant: 1 ml s/c

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
2.   Duck septicaemia - (Riemerella anatipestifer and Pasteurella anatipestifer)
        Ducks & Turkey 

 Important symptoms
Young ducks (1-8 weeks) are highly susceptible. Listlessness - ocular and nasal discharge, mild coughing, sneezing, greenish diarrhea, ataxia, tremor of head and neck and coma. In certain cases in adult ducks severe hemorrhagic enteritis with septicemia lesions all over body noticed. Blood seen in the oral cavity at the time of death due to severe congestion of mucous membrane of esophagus - sudden death noticed.

Specimens to be collected
Affected bird or internal organs, especially heart, liver, spleen from affected bird in sterile containers (on ice).

Diagnosis
Isolation and identification of the organism, demonstration of the organism in blood smear, in putrefied carcass isolation from long bones.
Control / Treatment
Combination of streptomycin and dihydro-streptomycin., suphadimidine sodium in drinking water for 3 days. Flamequin, Chloramphenicol, Enrofloxacin, Ampicillin, Pefloxacin are also effective. A formalised whole culture vaccine is found to protect the bird for at least 3-6 months. A formalised oil adjuvant vaccine is also effective.

3.  Pullorum disease -(Salmonella pullorum)
    Poultry  

Important symptoms
Chicks hatched from infected egg, moribund or dead chick may be seen in the incubator. Sometimes disease is not seen for 5-10 days. Peak mortality during second or third week. Affected birds may exhibit a shrill cry when voiding excreta, which is white or greenish brown. Infection spread within the flock for a long time without any distinct signs. Reduction in egg production, fertility and hatchability.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird or freshly dead birds, or spleen, liver and intestine on ice from dead birds.

Diagnosis
Isolation and identification of organism from diseased birds, whole blood agglutination using coloured antigen (not for turkey), tube agglutination test, ELISA, post mortem lesions. In adult, abnormal ovary with misshapen, discoloured ova, pedunculated with thickened wall.
Control / Treatment
No treatment is likely to effect complete elimination of carrier from infected birds.
Sulphadiazine, Sulphamerazine, sulphapyrazine, Sulphamethazine are the most effective in chicken (not in turkey poults). Furazolidone is effective. Also chloramphenicol, colistin and apromycin are effective. No vaccination practised and all positive birds may be disposed off by slaughter. Birds recently vaccinated with S. gallinarum (9R) may give low titre. Since Tran ovarian transmission of organism is there, only eggs from salmonella free flock should be used for hatching.

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
4. Fowl typhoid - (S.gallinarum)
Poultry and Turkey

Important symptoms
Chicks hatched from infected egg, moribund or dead chick may be seen in the incubator. Sometimes disease is not seen for 5-10 days. Peak mortality during second or third week. Affected birds may exhibit a shrill cry when voiding excreta, which is white or greenish brown. Infection spread within the flock for a long time without any distinct signs. Reduction in egg production, fertility and hatchability. Birds show diarrhea and greenish faeces and systemic disturbances.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird or fresh carcass or liver, spleen and intestine from freshly dead birds by special messenger on ice

Diagnosis
Isolation and identification of organism, tube and plate test, clinical observation and necropsy findings (Bronze liver

Control / Treatment
Sulpha-TMP drugs, Quinelone group are used. Nitrofurans (Furazolidone) are used with some success.
1. Killed vaccine,
2. Live vaccine (9 R strain).
 Drugs when used as prophylactic agent, 10 days withdrawal period before slaughter.

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
5. Paratyphoid   infection of birds with Salmonella other than - (S. Pullorum and  S.gallinarum )
      Poultry, Turkey, Ducks and Goose

Important symptoms
Chicks hatched from infected egg, moribund or dead chick may be seen in the incubator. Sometimes disease is not seen for 5-10 days. Peak mortality during second or third week. Affected birds may exhibit a shrill cry when voiding excreta, which is white or greenish brown. Infection spread within the flock for a long time without any distinct signs. Reduction in egg production, fertility and hatchability.

Specimens to be collected
Two ailing birds Internal organs in sterile vials, by special messenger on ice.

Diagnosis
Isolation and identification of organism, clinical observation and autopsy findings,
serological tests.

Control / Treatment
Furazlidone, injectable gentamicin, spectinomycin, and sodium nalidixate are the drugs of choice. Bacterin and attenuated live vaccines are used.

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
6. Collibacillosis -(E. coli)
Poultry, Turkey, Duck

Important symptoms
In acute form, symptoms resemble fowl cholera or fowl typhoid.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird or internal organs in sterile containers through special messenger on ice.

Diagnosis
Symptoms, isolation and identification of organism, PM lesions, pericarditis, peritonitis, air saculitis, perihepatitis, septicaemic carcass with liver, spleen, lung, kidney dark and congested.

Control / Treatment
Faecal contamination of hatching eggs reduced by fumigating or disinfecting eggs within 2 hours of laying. Antibiotic administration after studying the antibiogram. Furazolidone is fed (0.04%) for 10 days and chlortetracycline in water (600 mg/5 L) for 5 days. Inactivated vaccine from 02:K1 and 078:KSO strains are effective. For ducks, inactivated vaccine prepared from 078 strains is effective.

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
7.Infectious coryza - (Haemophiluspara gallinarum)
Chicken

Important symptoms
Affects  upper respiratory tract, sero mucoid nasal and occular discharges and facial oedema, conjunctivitis with closed eyes.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird or trachea and lungs in sterile containers on ice.

Diagnosis
Isolation and identification.

Control / Treatment
Sulpha drugs plus TMP, streptomycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, quinolone 2nd   generation.
Disease, etiological agent and species affected

8. Erysipelas -  (Erysipeolothrix insidiosa)
    Turkey & Chicken.

Important symptoms
Sudden death, especially in toms. Cutaneous lesions may be seen. Affected males have swollen discoloured turgid snood and dewlap.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird, piece of liver, spleen in sterile vials on ice, bones of putrefied birds in charcoal, impression smears (from liver, spleen and heart blood smear.

Diagnosis
Sudden loss of adult turkey in flesh with septicaemic lesions, isolation and identification of organism, bone marrow culture in putrefied carcass, agglutination test.

Control / Treatment
Crystalline penicillin is the drug of choice. Erythromycin and broad-spectrum antibiotics are also effective. Aluminium hydroxide absorbed whole cell of E.insidiosa (serotype 2) is effective.

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
9. Chronic respiratory disease (CRD ) Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Chicken and Turkey

Important symptoms
Nasal discharge, shaking of head, coughing, swelling of the orbital sinuses and tracheal rales. Loss of weight, reduction in egg production and fertility, mortality low.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing bird or trachea, air sac, turbinate and lung in sterile container from dead bird.

Diagnosis
Symptoms, isolation and identification of organism, rapid serum plate test, HI test, ELISA.

Control / Treatment
Chlortetracycline, tylosin, streptomycin, erythromycin or lincomycin can be tried. But some strains are resistant to tylosin, streptomycin, erythromycin or spiromycin. Dipping of egg prior to hatching in tylosin or chlortetracycline is advised for controlling the infection.

10. Gangrenous dermatitis - (Clostridium septicum, C. perfringes )
            Poultry

Important symptoms
Varying degree of depression, in coordination, leg weakness, ataxia, dark moist areas of skin devoid of feathers, overlying wings, breast, abdomen and leg, extensive blood tinged edema with or without gas is present beneath the affected skin.

Specimens to be collected
Ailing birds, swab collected from affected area.

Diagnosis
Clinical symptoms and lesions, isolation and identification of organism

Control / Treatment
No treatment is completely successful. Chlortetracycline, Oxytetracycline, Bacitracin, penicillin, copper sulphate in drinking water. Furaxone in feed

Disease, etiological agent and species affected
11.  Psittacosis/Ornithosis  - (Chlamydia psittaci)
       Domestic poultry, turkey and ducks. Transmissible to man.

Important symptoms
Ruffled plumage, nasal discharge, watery greenish diarrhea, pasting of feathers, wasting of pectoral muscles, nervous symptoms, respiratory symptoms.

Specimens to be collected
Two ailing birds, impression smears from cut surfaces of liver, spleen, air sac impression smears.

Diagnosis
Clinical symptoms, P.M.findings, microscopical examination, impression smears, after modified ZN staining isolation and identification of the organism, CFT.

Control / Treatment
Broad-spectrum antibiotics, chlortetracycline 500-800 g/tonne of feed for 3 weeks. Doxycycline also tried.
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