I picked up several chickens from a person who was overwhelmed with birds. They looked pretty rough when I got them, but there were no outward signs of illness.
I got them home & quarantined them. The next day, I noticed one had gurgling, rasping breathing. No runny nose or bubbly eyes, and she was eating/drinking normally.
I culled her & sent her in for a necropsy.
I got the final necropsy results back from UC Davis. It looks like they suspect mycoplasma, but the tests were negative.
One of the quarantined birds was showing the same symptoms this morning - gurgly sounds while breathing & generally lethargic. I went ahead & culled it.
All the others look & act healthy. ( I wormed them yesterday)
What do you guys think - should I cull the rest of these birds?
If I do cull them, I'm assuming I can process them as meat birds - is this right?
Final Report
Euthanized (headless) pullet.
1. Intestinal parasitism, Ascaridoidea galli infection.
2. Tracheitis, lymphoplasmacytic, lymphofollicular, severe, suspect mycoplasma infection, mycoplasma PCR test
negative.
L a b o r a t o r y F i n d i n g s / D i a g n o s i s
7/18/2012:
The histologic changes in the trachea are suggestive of a subacute to chronic infectious process and mycoplasma would be the
most likely etiology, but in this case the PCR tests for the two common pathogenic species of mycoplasma in poultry were
negative. The lesions in the small intestine are consistent with roundworm infection.
---------------------
B a c t e r i o l o g y
BACTERIAL AEROBIC CULTURE
Results
Lung Swab Mixed flora Rare
B i o t e c h n o l o g y
Avian Influenza matrix gene qRT-PCR
Results
Oropharyngeal Swab Negative
Mycoplasma gallisepticum qPCR
Results
Tracheal Swab Negative
Mycoplasma synoviae qPCR
Results
Tracheal Swab Negative
H i s t o l o g y
Histologic examinations were performed on samples of peripheral nerve, trachea, lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, bursa,
crop, proventriculus, ventriculus, small intestine, pancreas, cecum and skeletal muscle. The tissues are in fair
post-mortem condition with more substantial autolysis in the intestinal sections. Significant histologic lesions will be
summarized. In the two sections of trachea examined, there is diffuse mucosal infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes ,
plasma cells, admixed with histiocytic cells and there is formation of lymphoid follicles within the lamina propria of the
mucosa. The lung is histologically unremarkable. The only other abnormalities noted was that in the duodenum and
jejunum, there is widespread multifocal crypt necrosis with pleocellular inflammation likely related to the roundworm
infection (larvae migration), although no larval forms were identified within the lesion.
I got them home & quarantined them. The next day, I noticed one had gurgling, rasping breathing. No runny nose or bubbly eyes, and she was eating/drinking normally.
I culled her & sent her in for a necropsy.
I got the final necropsy results back from UC Davis. It looks like they suspect mycoplasma, but the tests were negative.
One of the quarantined birds was showing the same symptoms this morning - gurgly sounds while breathing & generally lethargic. I went ahead & culled it.
All the others look & act healthy. ( I wormed them yesterday)
What do you guys think - should I cull the rest of these birds?
If I do cull them, I'm assuming I can process them as meat birds - is this right?
Final Report
Euthanized (headless) pullet.
1. Intestinal parasitism, Ascaridoidea galli infection.
2. Tracheitis, lymphoplasmacytic, lymphofollicular, severe, suspect mycoplasma infection, mycoplasma PCR test
negative.
L a b o r a t o r y F i n d i n g s / D i a g n o s i s
7/18/2012:
The histologic changes in the trachea are suggestive of a subacute to chronic infectious process and mycoplasma would be the
most likely etiology, but in this case the PCR tests for the two common pathogenic species of mycoplasma in poultry were
negative. The lesions in the small intestine are consistent with roundworm infection.
---------------------
B a c t e r i o l o g y
BACTERIAL AEROBIC CULTURE
Results
Lung Swab Mixed flora Rare
B i o t e c h n o l o g y
Avian Influenza matrix gene qRT-PCR
Results
Oropharyngeal Swab Negative
Mycoplasma gallisepticum qPCR
Results
Tracheal Swab Negative
Mycoplasma synoviae qPCR
Results
Tracheal Swab Negative
H i s t o l o g y
Histologic examinations were performed on samples of peripheral nerve, trachea, lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, bursa,
crop, proventriculus, ventriculus, small intestine, pancreas, cecum and skeletal muscle. The tissues are in fair
post-mortem condition with more substantial autolysis in the intestinal sections. Significant histologic lesions will be
summarized. In the two sections of trachea examined, there is diffuse mucosal infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes ,
plasma cells, admixed with histiocytic cells and there is formation of lymphoid follicles within the lamina propria of the
mucosa. The lung is histologically unremarkable. The only other abnormalities noted was that in the duodenum and
jejunum, there is widespread multifocal crypt necrosis with pleocellular inflammation likely related to the roundworm
infection (larvae migration), although no larval forms were identified within the lesion.
