Veterinary Services

Poultry

Rising mortality and increased culling due to lameness was reported in a broiler flock aged 30 days. Postmortem examination of birds found dead revealed lesions typical of colisepticaemia, including fibrinous pericarditis, fibrinous perihepatitis, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and airsacculitis. Those culled due to lameness had swelling of one or both hock joints, and histopathology demonstrated an acute fibrinogranulocytic arthritis and tenosynovitis. The bacterium E coli was consistently isolated from affected tissues.

Wild birds

Salmonella Typhimurium DT 40 was responsible for the deaths of greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) and chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) on three sites.