What is chicken cholera?

What is chicken cholera?

Fowl cholera is a contagious, bacterial disease of birds caused by Pasteurella multocida. Acutely, it causes elevated mortality. Chronically, it causes lameness, swollen wattles (in chickens), pneumonia (in turkeys), and torticollis, but it can also be asymptomatic.

What causes chicken cholera?

Fowl cholera, caused by P. multocida infection, is a commonly occurring disease of birds. It is caused by a small, Gram-negative rod bacterium. In the acute form, its usual symptom is septicemia with associated high morbidity and mortality.

What are the symptoms of fowl cholera in chicken?

In acute fowl cholera, finding a large number of dead birds without previous signs is usually the first indication of disease. Mortality often increases rapidly. In more protracted cases, depression, anorexia, mucoid discharge from the mouth, ruffled feathers, diarrhea, and increased respiratory rate are usually seen.

What is the chicken cholera vaccine?

Broiler minibreeder hens were vaccinated for protection against fowl cholera at 12 and 21 weeks of age using several vaccination schemes, which included a live Pasteurella multocida (CU strain) vaccine, two commercial polyvalent fowl cholera oil-based bacterins, and two experimentally prepared polyvalent oil-based …

Who discovered chicken cholera?

The chickens did not become ill. Pasteur reasoned the factor that made the bacteria less deadly was exposure to oxygen. The discovery of the chicken cholera vaccine by Louis Pasteur revolutionized work in infectious diseases and can be considered the birth of immunology.

What is coccidiosis in poultry?

Coccidiosis is a common parasitic disease of broiler and broiler breeder chickens caused by single-celled protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria which are commonly referred to as coccidia.

How is fowl cholera treated in poultry?

Treatment. The most efficient treatment in breeding flocks or laying hens is individual intramuscular injections of a long-acting tetracycline, with the same antibiotic in drinking water, simultaneously. The mortality and clinical signs will stop within one week, but the bacteria might remain present in the flock.

Is fowl cholera contagious to humans?

Avian cholera is not considered contagious to humans. When handling sick, injured or dead birds, wear rubber gloves to avoid other infections.

How do you prevent fowl cholera in chickens?

Prevention and sanitation: Commercial vaccines are available to help control fowl cholera within a flock. However, vaccination is not recommended unless fowl cholera becomes a problem on a premise. Sanitation practices are the preferred method to prevent the disease.

Who was the father of vaccination?

Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology in the West in 1796, after he inoculated a 13 year-old-boy with vaccinia virus (cowpox), and demonstrated immunity to smallpox. In 1798, the first smallpox vaccine was developed.

How is fowl cholera transmitted?

In domestic fowl the means of disease spread is believed to be via ingestion, mechanically by arthropod vectors or by inhalation. Inhalation appears to be the most likely route of transmission but there is also evidence of oral transmission from diseased carcasses to predators and scavenger birds.

What kind of disease does chicken cholera have?

Chicken cholera Chicken cholera is a highly contagious and lethal disease that occurred in epidemics in poultry yards. It is caused by the Pasteurella multocida zoonotic bacterium. It is the most common pasteurellosis of poultry.

How is the diagnosis of fowl cholera made?

The diagnosis is made on the basis of disease history, clinical signs, the lesions and the results of bacteriological studies. Fowl cholera should be differentiated from acute E. coli septicaemia, erysipeloid, fowl typhoid etc. The immunization of birds at the age of 8 -12 weeks gives very promising results.

Which is more susceptible to fowl cholera turkeys or turkeys?

Adult birds and old chickens are more susceptible. In parental flocks, cocks are far more susceptible than hens. Besides chickens, the disease also concerns turkeys, ducks, geese, raptors, and canaries. Turkeys are particularly sensitive, with mortality ranging to 65%.

How are laying hens treated if they have cholera?

Due to the speed of infection and mortality, birds are in good body condition and do not exhibit the signs of prolonged illness. The most efficient treatment in breeding flocks or laying hens is individual intramuscular injections of a long-acting tetracycline, with the same antibiotic in drinking water, simultaneously.