A Basic Approach to Poultry Disease Diagnosisoeffa.org/documents/BasicApproachtoPoultryDisease...A Basic Approach to Poultry Disease Diagnosis Mohamed El-Gazzar DVM, MAM, PhD, DACPV

A Basic Approach to Poultry Disease Diagnosis

Mohamed El-Gazzar DVM, MAM, PhD, DACPV

Assistant Professor

Poultry Extension Veterinarian

The Ohio State University

Lay Out

• Non commercial and organic poultry

• Poultry diseases groups

• Biosecurity

• Recent Avian Influenza outbreak

Trends in Food Production

• Organic

• Free Range

• Produce local/Eat local

• Shift in Poultry Population

Urban Chicken Ownership in Four U.S. Cities

• Denver

• Los Angles

• Miami

• New York

– Around 1% of all households

– Quadruple (4%) within 5 years

– Not enough veterinary services

Backyard flocks Not only Urban

• Urban, Suburban and Rural

• Few birds to several hundreds (Average 49 birds)

• Still food animals not Pets

• Population medicine

• Mainly Chicken

• Some Turkey

• Other species

But they are falling through the crakes!!

• Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323527004579081812563033586

• A gap that needs to be filled

• Small and mixed Animal Practices or Even Poultry Specialists

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323527004579081812563033586




Poultry Disease Diagnosis and Control

• Clinical History

• Clinical signs

• Necropsy

• Laboratory diagnosis

• Control

Rule Out List

• Clinical signs grouping

– Respiratory

– Digestive

– Musculoskeletal

– Neurological

– Others

• Samples to collect

• General control

Poultry Disease Diagnosis

Necropsy

• Extremely useful in poultry

• Recently dead

• Clear clinical picture

• Sample collection

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/veterinarians/avian-necropsy-examination

Usual Clinical Samples

• Blood serology

• Swabs bacterial isolation

• Organs virus isolation

• Organs histopathology

Disclaimer

• Non of lists is comprehensive

• Only most common

• Starting point

Respiratory Diseases

General signs: • Mortality

• Anorexia/Fever/lethargy

• Coughing/Sneezing

• Rales/Weezing

• Nasal/Occular discharges

• Swollen head/swollen sinuses

• inflamed eyelids


Gross lesions: • Inflammation of:

– head tissues

– nasal cavity

– conjunctivitis

• Tracheitis

• Pneumonia

• Air sacculitis

• Polyserositis

Turbinate

Normal Trachea

Inflamed Trachea

Early Airsacculitis

Polyserositis Pnuemonia


Rule out list: • Newcastle disease • Infectious bronchitis • Infectious laryngotracheitis • Avian Influenza • Mycoplasmosis (4 species) • Colibacillosis (E. coli) • Fowl Cholera (Pasteurella multocida) • Infectious coryza (Avibacterium paragallinarum) • Turkey coryza (Bordetella avium) • Aspergillosis • Cryptosporidiosis • Gape worms (Syngamus trachea)

Respiratory Sampling

Samples:

• Blood Serology

• Eye lids, Trachea, lungs and kidney Histopath

• Eye lids, Trachea, lungs and kidney Virus isolation

• Trachea/choana/airsacs swabing Bacterial isolation

Treatment for Respiratory Diseases

Viral Infection: • Vaccination (prevention) • Supportive Treatment • Disinfection and biosecurity • Antibiotic treatment (if bacterial component present)

Bacterial Infection: • Vaccination (prevention) • Supportive Treatment • Disinfection and biosecurity • Antibiotic could be used in drinking water

– Oxytetracycline – Chlortetracycline – Tylosin for Mycoplasma

Digestive Diseases

General signs:

• Mortality

• Anorexia/Fever/lethargy

• Dehydration

• Diarrhea/Loose droppings (watery/bloody)

• Pasty vent/wet litter

Normal Droppings

Loose Droppings

Digestive Diseases

Gross lesions:

• Intestinal mucosa

• Intestinal content

• Parasite

• Pathognomonic lesions

Digestive Diseases Rule out List: • Hemorrhagic Enteritis Virus

• Turkey Corona Virus

• Clostridium species

• Salmonella species

• Coccidia species

• Histomonas meliagridis (Black head)

• Trichomonus gallinae

• Intestinal helminthes (Tapeworms and Round worms)

Digestive Diseases Sampling

Samples:

• Intestine/liver/other histopathology

• Intestinal/liver/spleen swabs bacterial isolation

• Intestinal scrapings

• Impression smears

Coccidosis • Most common protozoan

parasite

• Mortality/economic losses

• Bloody Diarrhea E. tenella

• Diarrhea (not always bloody)

• Predispose for Clostridium enteritis

• Vaccines

• Amprolium for prevention and control

Eimeria acervulina

Eimeria maxima

Not All Internal Parasites are Intestinal

• Histomonus meliagridis (Black head)

– Liver lesions

– Cecal cores

• Syngamus trachea (Tracheal worms or Gapeworms)

Histomonus meliagridis

Syngamus trachea

External Parasites • Lice

• Mites – Red mites

– Northern fowl mites

– Scaly leg mite

• Powdering, dusting or spraying of insecticides – Birds and Environment

– Minimum of Two treatments

– 7 days interval

Red Mites Northern fowl Mites

Chicken Lice

Musculoskeletal Diseases

General Signs:

• Mortality

• Paralysis

• Lameness

• Down birds


Gross Lesions: • Nerve inflammation • Joint inflammation • Foot pad infection

(bumblefoot) • Weak/soft bones

(rickets or osteoporosis)

• Bone deformities


Rule out list: • Marek’s disease (nerve involvement) • Reo virus • Staphylococcus aureus • E. coli • Pasteurella maltocida • Mycoplasma synoviea • Calcium/Phosphorus deficiency • Ionophore toxicity • Genetic deformities


Samples:

• Swab lesions bacterial isolation

• Nerve/muscle/affected tissue histopathology

• Feed samples feed analysis

Neurological Diseases

General signs:

• Paralysis

• Ataxia

• Torticollis

• Tremors

Neurological Diseases

Rule out List: • Marek’s Disease • Avian Encephalomylitis • Newcastle Disease • Influenza • Pasteurella • E. coli • Nutritional deficiency • Ionophore toxicity

Neurological Diseases Sampling Samples: • Nerves/brain histopathology

• Lesions other organs histopathology

• Organs virus isolation

• Blood serology

• Feed feed analysis

Vitamin E difficiency

General signs:

• 3 forms of the disease

– Encepahlomalacia

– Exudative diathesis

– Muscular dystrophy

Exudative diathesis

Muscular dystrophy

Other Common Conditions in Backyard Flocks

Egg Production problems

Birds are not laying?? • Review lighting • Review feeding • Water consumption • Infectious causes

– Egg peritonitis – New castle – Infectious bronchitis – Laryngotracheitis – Influenza – Egg drop syndrome – Pasteurella – Coriza – Mycotoxins in feed

Egg peritonitis

Pox virus

• Dry form and wet form

• Collect samples for histopathology

Dry form Wet form Inclusion bodies

Tumor Viruses (3 viruses)

1- Marek’s Disease

2- Leukosis/Sarcoma

3- Reticuloendotheliosis

Remember 2 Things

1. Zoonotic Diseases

• Salmonella

• Campylobacter

• Mycobacterium avium

• Influenza

• Chlamydia psittaci

• Others

2.Reportable diseases

• Zoonotic diseases

• Infectious laryngotracheitis

• Exotic Newcastle Disease

• Highly Pathogenic Influenza

• Others

List of Diseases with Commercially Available Vaccines

Disease Vaccine Type Newcastle Diseas Live/inactivated

Infectious Bronchitis Live/inactivated

Laryngotracheitis Live

Fowl Pox Live

Marek's Disease Live

Reo Virus Live/inactivated

Heamorrhagic Enteritis Live

Avian Encephalomylitis Live/inactivated

E. coli Live/inactivated

Pasteurella Live/inactivated

Salmonella Live/inactivated

Mycoplasma Live/inactivated

Infctious Coryza Live/inactivated

Turkey Coryza Live/inactivated

Coccidia Live

Biosecurity • Prevent pathogen access

• Sterility is not the target

• Control specific pathogens

• General sanitary practices

Specific poultry pathogens

• Specific poultry pathogens – Not all poultry pathogens

• What is the source of these pathogens?? – Poultry

– Birds

– Animals

– Humans

Route of Transmission

Source of disease Poultry Population Route of Transmission

Disease Transmission

• Direct Transmission: direct physical contact

• Indirect Transmission: through indirect transportation vehicles

Biosecurity Programs

• Interventions with Direct Transmission

• Intervention with Indirect Transmission

Intervention with Direct Transmission

• Prevent Contact: – Other poultry – Wild birds (Open Water Bodies) – Captive birds – Animals and human

• Multispecies or multiages • Acquire birds from NPIP • Quarantine newly acquired birds • Quarantine birds when back

from: – Show – Market – Fair

Intervention with Indirect Transmission

• Potential vehicles for Indirect Transmission: 1. Human

2. Domestic animals including pets

3. Wild animals including varmints and rodents

4. Inanimate objects including equipment

5. Feed

6. Water

7. Environments including shared pastures and water ponds

P

P

P

P P P P

W

W

W

W

P

H5N3 in wild birds

H5N3 in poultry P

W

H5N2 in poultry H5N2 in wild birds

P

W H5N8 in wild birds

H5N8 in poultry P


H5N1 in poultry P


H5N6 in poultry P

W

H5 HPAI reports from East Asia September 2014 through February 2015 (OIE)

Eastern Asia Reports of H5 HPAI subsided in the region

during summer 2014. Then in September,

outbreaks of H5N1, H5N2, H5N6, H5N8

HPAI occurred in China.

Original H5N8 outbreak occurred January-

April, 2014, most intensely in S. Korea and

Japan. After 5 months with no reported

cases, H5N8 was detected again, 24

September, in S. Korean commercial poultry.

It was detected again in Japan in November.

H5N2, H5N3, H5N8 outbreaks occurred in

Taiwan in early 2015.

P

W

W

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P P

P

P

P

P P P P

W

W

W

W

W

W

P

W

Western Europe H5N8 was first isolated 4 November

2014 from commercial poultry in

Germany; also isolated in November

from a wild duck.

By mid-December, H5N8 was

isolated from commercial poultry in

The Netherlands, United Kingdom,

and Italy.

H5 HPAI reports from Europe, Middle East, and Africa November 2014 through February 2015 (OIE)

H5N3 in wild birds

H5N3 in poultry P

W


P


H5N8 in poultry P


H5N1 in poultry P


H5N6 in poultry P

W

P

P P

W

W

P

P

P













P

P

P

P

P P

P

P

P

P P P P

W

W

W

W

W

W

P

Migratory aquatic birds – likely

mode for H5N8 HPAI virus

spread to Europe in fall 2014 Several migratory flyways overlap

extensively in northern Eurasia during

the breeding season. H5N8 virus

carried there from East Asia in the

spring could have been transferred to

other birds that migrate south into

Europe in the fall.

H5N8 may be better suited for long-

distance dispersal than most strains of

HPAI.

H5 HPAI reports from Europe, Middle East, and Africa November 2014 through February 2015 (OIE)

H5N3 in wild birds

H5N3 in poultry P

W


P


H5N8 in poultry P


H5N1 in poultry P


H5N6 in poultry P

W

P

W P

P

W

W

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P P

P

P

P

P P P P

W

W

W

W

W

W

P

Migratory aquatic birds – also the likely mode for

H5N8 HPAI virus spread to North America Eurasion (EA) H5N8 was likely carried to Alaska by infected

birds migrating on the East Asia / Australia Flyway. Within 3

months, HPAI viruses were detected in the Pacific Americas

Flyway and the Mississippi Americas Flyway.

EA H5N8 underwent gene reassortment with low

pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) strains endemic to North

American wild birds. This means a bird was co-infected at

some point with the H5N8 and an American (AM) LPAI strain,

enabling the 8 gene segments to be mixed and matched in

new combinations.

EA/AM H5N1 and EA/AM H5N2 isolates in the western and

central US were reassortants that contained genes of North

American and Eurasian origin.

H5 HPAI reports from North America November 2014 through 9 March 2015 (OIE)

H5N3 in wild birds

H5N3 in poultry P

W


P


H5N8 in poultry P


H5N1 in poultry P


H5N6 in poultry P

W

P

W P

P

W

W

P

P

P

Reassortment in NA

EA/AM H5 HPAI

Migratory Fly Ways in NA

Ohio and many other States in the Midwest are part of the Mississippi Flyway

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

P P

P

P

P

P P P P

W W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

P

North America H5N2 first isolated 30 November 2014

from commercial poultry in British

Columbia; outbreak continues into 2015.

H5N8 first isolated 10 December 2014

from captive wild birds in Washington;

later isolated from backyard poultry in

Oregon. Similarly, H5N2 identified in US

wild birds and backyard poultry.

H5N1 first isolated 29 December 2014

from wild duck in Washington.

H5N8 isolated 19 January 2015 from

commercial turkey farm in California.

H5N2 isolated from commercial turkeys

in Minnesota and Missouri, March 2015.

Western Europe H5N8 first isolated 4 November

2014 from commercial poultry in

Germany; also isolated in November

from a wild duck.

By mid-December, H5N8 was

isolated from commercial poultry in

The Netherlands, United Kingdom,

and Italy.

H5 HPAI reports from North America November 2014 through 9 March 2015 (OIE)

H5N3 in wild birds

H5N3 in poultry P

W


P


H5N8 in poultry P


H5N1 in poultry P


H5N6 in poultry P

W

P

W P

P

P

W

W

P

P

P













British Colombia

Number of Affected Birds

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 6/25/2015

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/




7/27/2015




Recommended References

• Avian Disease Manual: 7th edition 2013

• A laboratory Manual for the Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Avian Pathogens: 5th edition 2008

• Diseases of Poultry: 13th edition 2013

Take Home • Good management and Biosecurity

• 2 Things to remember

– Zoonotic diseases – Reportable diseases

• Biosecurity and vaccines

• Current AI outbreak

Clinical signs and Lesions

List of Diseases

Sampling and treatment

Questions?

Documents

A Basic Approach to Poultry Disease Diagnosisoeffa.org/documents/BasicApproachtoPoultryDisease...A Basic Approach to Poultry Disease Diagnosis Mohamed El-Gazzar DVM, MAM, PhD, DACPV