Poultry Common Diseases Flashcards
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - resp
- Colibacillosis
- Adverse environment
- Aspergillosis
- Newcastle disease (ND)
- Avian influenza (ND)
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - resp
- Colibacillosis
- Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV)
- Aspergillosis
- Adverse environment - high humidities + temp -> panting + airsacculitis
- Newcastle disease (ND)
- Avian influenza (ND)
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - resp
- Infectious laryngeal tracheitis (ILT)
- Mycoplasmas (Ms + Mg) - synoviae / gallisepticum
- Pasteurella multocida
- Avibacterium paragallinarum (more common in pets)
- Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV)
- Marek’s disease
- Trichomonas gallinae
- Avian metapneumovirus (avian rhinotracheitis - ART)
- Newcastle disease (ND)
- Avian influenza (ND)
Other poultry - resp
- Colibaccillosis
- Mycoplasmas (Ms + Mg)
- Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT)
- Synagmus trachea (more common in pets)
- Trichomonas gallinae
- Avian metapneumovirus (turkey rhinotracheitis - TRT)
- Newcastle disease (ND)
- Avian influenza (ND)
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - cardio
- Pericarditis - E. coli/Enterococcus spp.
- Ascites - environmental e.g. under ventilation in incubators
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - cardio
- Pericarditis - E. coli/Enterococcus spp.
- Endocarditis - often enterococcus spp.
- Acute cardiac episode
- Ascites
Adult birds (laryers + breeders) - cardio
- Pericarditis
- Marek’s disease
Other poultry - cardio
- Pericarditis
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - lameness
- Purulent arthritis - E. coli, Staph spp., Enterococcus spp.
- Articular gout
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - lameness
- Purulent arthritis - E. coli, Staph spp., Enterococcus spp.
- Articular gout
- Rickets (hypoCa/HypoP)
- Limb deformities (angular/rotational)
- Osteomyelitis (+ proximal femoral)
- Tibial dyschondroplasia
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - lameness
- Purulent arthritis - E. coli, Staph spp., Enterococcus spp.
- Articular gout
- Reovirus (affects tendons)
- Ruptured gastrocnemius
- Fx (more common in pet birds)
- Marek’s disease
- Mycoplasma synoviae
Other poultry - lameness
- Purulent arthritis - E. coli, Staph spp., Enterococcus spp.
- Mycoplasma synoviae
- Fx (more common in pet birds)
- Rickets - ducks
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - neuro
- Bacterial meningitis (E. coli, Enterococcus spp.)
- Avian encephalomyelitis virus (AE) - high prevalences
- Newcastle disease (ND)
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - neuro
- Bacterial meningitis (E. coli, Enterococcus spp.)
- Spinal osteomyelitis
- Scoliosis
- Newcastle disease (ND)
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - neuro
- Marek’s disease
- Pelvic nerve damage
- Hypocalcaemia
- Newcastle disease (ND)
Other poultry - neuro
- Bacterial meningitis (E. coli, Enterococcus spp.)
- Scoliosis
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - uro
- Dehydration -> visceral gout -> articular gout
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - uro
- Nephritis (underlying viral or bacterial) -> visceral gout -> articular gout
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - uro
- Dehydration + nephritis -> visceral gout -> articular gout
- Marek’s disease (more common in pet birds)
Other poultry - uro
- Dehydration + nephritis -> visceral gout -> articular gout
- Coronavirus (gamebirds)
Adult birds (layers + breeder) - repro
- Salpingitis (more common in pet birds)
- Egg bound (more common in pet birds)
- Egg shell deformities - Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), HypoCa, HypoP, stress)
- Reduced egg production - egg drop syndrome, Avian encephalomyelitis (AE), Mycoplasma (Ms, Mg), environmental stress
- Hydrosalpinx - test for underlying IBV QX strain
- (Egg) peritonitis
- Avian influenza (ND)
- Newcastle disease (ND)
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - GI
- Gizzard impaction - check bedding material
- Non-starters - chicks can survive off their yolk sacs for 3 d, environmental reason
- Starve outs - chicks have clearly started to feed but then stopped - environmental
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - repro
- Coccidiosis - E. acerculina, E. maxima, E. tenella, E. necatrix
- Enteritis
- Necrotic enteritis
- Rotavirus
- Gizzard ulceration - mechanical, adenovirus, mycotoxins
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - repro
- Trichomonas (pets)
- Crop impaction (pets)
- Ingluvitis - Candida albicans) (pets)
- Parasitic gastroenteritis - Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum)
- Histomoniasis - Blackhead
- Necrotic enteritis
- Coccidiosis - E. necatrix
Other poultry - GI
Ducks + geese don’t have crops
- Trichomonas (pets)
- Crop impaction - turkey
- Ingluvitis - Candida albicans
- Parasitic gastroenteritis
- Spironucleosis - game
- Histomoniasis - Blackhead
- Enteritis
- Rotavirus
- Haemorrhagic enteritis virus - turkeys
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - hepatic
- Bacterial hepatitis - 2y to bacterial translocation from gut/yolk sac/resp -> septicaemia
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - hepatic
- Bacterial hepatitis - 2y to bacterial translocation from gut/resp -> septicaemia
- Inclusion body hepatitis
- Metabolic hypoglycaemia
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - hepatic
- Histomoniasis - Blackhead
- Bacterial hepatitis - Erysipelas, Pasteruellosis
- Spotty liver syndrome
Other poultry - hepatic
- Histomoniasis - Blackhead
- Bacterial hepatitis - Erysipelas, Pasteurellosis
Chicks (0 - 7 d) - generalised/septicaemia/other
- Infection/septicaemia - omphalitis, yolk sac infection, colibaccillosis
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - generalised/septicaemia/other
- Infection/septicaemia - colibaccillosis
- Immunosuppression - infectious bursal disease (IBD)/Gumboro
- Metabolic hypoglycaemia (sudden death)
Adult birds (layers + breeders) - generalised/septicaemia/other
- Infection/septicaemia - E. coli (egg) peritonitis, Erysipelas, Pasteurellosis
- Redmite
- Marek’s disease - immunosuppression, tumours + wasting
- Rodenticide poisoning -> clotting disorders + haemorrhages (pets)
Other poultry - generalised/septicaemia/other
- Infection/septicaemia - E. coli septicaemia, erysipelas, pasteurellosis
- Riemerella - ducks
Causes of immunosuppression
- Environmental ammonia
- Foodborne mycotoxins
- Suboptimal nutrition
- Infectious bursal disease (IBD)
- Chicken infectious anemia (CIA)
- Marek’s disease (MD)
- Some reoviruses
- Enteric parvoviruses
- Hemorrhagic enteritis virus of turkeys
- Virulent fowl adenoviruses
- Newcastle disease can damage lymphoid tissues and macrophages.
- Avian pneumovirus infections impair the mucociliary functions of the upper respiratory tract and augment deeper bacterial infections
Endocrine + metabolic diseases
- Hypocalcaemia
- Hypoglycaemia / metabolic syndrome
- Egg bound
- Calcium tetany
Young birds (7 - 40 d) - integument
- Scratches -> cellulitis
Adult birds (layers + breeders)
- Feather loss/inappropriate moulting - nutritional, stress, environmental, cannibalism, parasites
- Lices (pets)
- Northern fowl mite (pets)
- Redmite
Common bacterial pathogens
- E. coli
- Enterococcus spp. (E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. hirae)
- Staphyloccus spp. (S. aureus)
- Pastuerella multocida
- Erysipelothrix rhuusiopathiae
- Pseudomonas spp. (P. aeruginosa) - 2y pathogen
Common pathogens free range birds commonly exposed to
- Mycoplasma gallisepticum
- Mycoplasma synoviae
- Infectious bronchitis virus
Common presentations - diseases in backyard layers
- 1). Respiratory disease - stained feathers above nares, blocked nasal passage (rhinolith), irritation/ scratching/rubbing head
- Persistent conjunctivitis, periocular oedema
- Sneezing, snicking, coughing, dyspnoea
- 2). Gastrointestinal disease - inappetant, lethargic and fluffed up, crop disease (retching or abnormal crop)
- 3). Ectoparasites
- 4). Worms
- 5). Egg related
- 6). Lameness
- 7). Mortality
Respiratory DDx
Bacterial infections
- Mycoplasma gallisepticum (infroaorbital swelling and caseous discharge)
- Avibacterium paragallinarum (infectious coryza) (infraorbital swelling and serous ocular discharge)
- E.coli (not usually associated with infraorbital swelling)
- Pasteurella multocida (not usually associated with infraorbital swelling)
- Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococci sp. (often secondary invaders rather than a primary cause)
- Avian tuberculosis
- Poor ventilation with excess dust (further questioning)
- Ammonia blindness (causes corneal ulceration so test with Fluorescein)
Viral infections
- Avian Influenza (not common)
- Avian metapneumovirus (infraorbital swelling not usually a feature, froth in the eye is)
- Avian pox
- Infectious bronchitis, IB, (not usually associated with infraorbital swelling)
- Infectious laryngotracheitis, ILT, (serous discharge or haemorrhagic discharge, not usually associated with infraorbital swelling)
Yeast and fungal infections
- Candida albicans
- Aspergillus fumigatus
Protozoal infections
- Trichomonas gallinae
Common abdominal-associated causes of sickness in hens
- Peritonitis - inflammation of peritoneum usually due to E.coli infection
- Salpingitis (usually associated with poor body condition) - inflammation of the salpinx i.e. pus in the
oviduct and uterus, starts as fluid pus then solidifies into a solid ball of pus and remains in the
oviduct, getting bigger and bigger Sometimes birds pass a “lash” egg i.e. a pus ball. - Histomoniasis/Blackhead – hepatitis, hepatomegaly & typhlitis with caecal cores
- Coccidiosis in young birds – haemorrhagic diarrhoea
- Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome – diarrhoea and hepatomegaly, review diet and appetite, evidence on a blood biochemistry profile.
- Clostridial diseases – (necrotic) enteritis, heptatitis, ulcerative enteritis causing diarrhoea
- Marek’s disease
Common causes of lameness
- Infectious - purulent arthritis, reovirus tenosynovitis, Marek’s disease virus (affects bone + nerves)
- Trauma - mating damage (pelvic nerve damage, no inflam), Fx, predator attack (skin m+ muscle trauma)
- Nutritional - hypocalcaemia (failure to feed layer ration + egg laying) - metabolising bone Ca, ruptured gastrocenmius tendon (marked swelling + thickening of tendon above hock)
Causes of sudden death (mortality)
- Egg peritonitis/salpingitis
- Red mite infestation causing severe anaemia
- Histomoniasis/Blackhead (protozoa)
- Pasturella multocida (Fowl Cholera)
- Erysipelosis
- Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome
- Newcastle disease/Avian influenza
Most common on farm presentation
- Neuro
Most common pet presentation
- Wasting
Most common cause of resp disease in backyard birds
- Mycoplasmosis - remain PI for life
- Presentation - tracheal eales
Clinical signs of avian influenza
- Flock signs - signs in birds sharing housing = behaviour
- Unresponsive, quiet birds, unwell, don’t want to come out and engage as usual. Don’t come for treats as usual.
- Sitting around,
- Fluffed up. They may rally temporarily, but will soon tire.
- Huddling with each other or against coop furniture/equipment like in nests or around drinkers. - Unexpected deaths, with other birds looking unwell.
- Bird signs typical with notifiable disease:
- Neurological signs – severe e.g. shaking, twitching, struggling to balance or just falling asleep & head nodding.
- Twisted heads or necks leaving birds looking up at the sky or sideways.
- Swollen, bruised appearance to heads. Facial feathers may stick up in swollen areas.
- Weak, unable to remain standing for long. Look drunk and may struggle to control their wings.
- Shivering, actually tremors as birds don’t shiver when they are cold
- Coughing sneezing or gaping, esp. in birds recently wormed for gapeworm
- Focal facial swelling e.g. around the eyes.
- Bruising or blood spots of the leg, neck or chest. Check in between the feathers.
- Signs are species-dependent and can occur - Reduction in laying in combination
- Lethargy
- Diarrhoea – dark or excessively watery faeces
- Bird signs typical with common diseases in hens. Individual birds with these symptoms, in an otherwise well flock are very unlikely to be affected by Highly pathogenic AI.
Dietary problems - chicks (0 - 7 d)
Articular gout
Dietary problems - young birds (7 - 40 d)
- Articular gout
- Rickets (hypoCa/hypoP)
- Limb deformities (angular/rotational)
= 2y to dietary problem - Tibial dyschondroplasia
Dietary problems - layers + breeders
Articular gout
Dietary problems - other poultry
- Rickets - ducks
