Veterinary Services

Histomoniasis and secondary colisepticaemia caused the death of five turkey poults aged seven weeks. Eighteen of 300 birds died over a four day period, feed intake had sharply dropped, the litter had become wet and dirty, and birds were sitting huddled. Five birds were submitted for post mortem examination – all had a swollen liver with multiple foci of discoloration and the caeca of all birds were swollen and contained casts of sloughed material. Bacteriology yielded heavy pure growths of E coli, and histopathology demonstrated a severe typhlocolitis and hepatitis associated with numerous protozoa consistent with Histomonas meleagridis.

Brachyspira pilosicoli, one of the causes of avian intestinal spirochaetosis, was detected by PCR and culture in a number of poultry faecal samples.

The number of game bird submissions fell in September, but protozoal infections predominated. Hexamitiasis was diagnosed in pheasants and red-legged partridges, coccidiosis caused the deaths of eight-week-old partridges, and a mixed Trichomonas/Hexamita infection, together with gapeworms, was diagnosed in pheasants in poor bodily condition.

Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis were isolated from the viscera of pheasants aged 12 weeks, from a unit on which about 30 birds had died.