scholarly journals Gastrointestinal impactions in backyard poultry

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anny S. Huang ◽  
Francisco R. Carvallo ◽  
Maurice E. Pitesky ◽  
Simone Stoute ◽  
Aslı Mete

In contrast to conventional commercial poultry, which are raised primarily in controlled indoor environments, backyard poultry are typically raised in less restricted settings, potentially exposing them to a greater variety of ingestible substances, including multiple types of forage. Consequently, problems such as gastrointestinal impactions caused by ingesta have been noted in backyard poultry. To determine the prevalence of these impactions in backyard poultry, we performed a retrospective database search for autopsy submissions to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory system and found that gastrointestinal impaction was associated with the death of 42 backyard poultry cases (40 chickens, 1 turkey, and 1 goose) from January 2013 to July 2018. In 32 of these 42 (76%) cases, the impaction was caused by fibrous plant material, 7 (17%) by compacted feed, and 3 (7%) by miscellaneous ingesta (tortilla, plastic, and wood shavings). The large proportion of grass impactions indicate that foraging is the predominant source of impaction material in backyard poultry, and that long grasses may be a significant health hazard for poultry. Backyard, pasture-raised, and free-range poultry producers are advised to maintain short pastures, avoid feeds that may expand in the gastrointestinal tract, and provide adequate grit to prevent impactions.

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Blakey ◽  
Simone Stoute ◽  
Beate Crossley ◽  
Aslı Mete

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) can cause severe losses in backyard flocks (BYFs) and commercial poultry. The prevalence of ILT, the circulating strains of ILT virus (ILTV) in BYFs, and the correlation of disease in BYF and commercial operations, is largely unknown. Of 8,656 BYF submissions, 88 cases of ILT were diagnosed at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System in 2007–2017. ILT diagnosis by year varied from 0.19% to 1.7% of the total BYF submissions, with the highest number of cases submitted from Amador and Riverside counties. Moderate tracheitis, conjunctivitis, and occluded tracheal lumen were commonly reported gross anatomic lesions. Microscopically, inflammation and edema were observed in the trachea, lung, and conjunctiva; 62 (70%) cases had intranuclear inclusion bodies (INIBs), with 10 cases containing INIBs only in conjunctival sections. To analyze the circulating ILTV strains and to differentiate between field and vaccine strains of ILTV, real-time PCR and sequencing of 996 base pairs of the infected-cell polypeptide 4 ( ICP4) gene was performed on 15 ILTV-positive tracheal samples and compared to reference field and vaccine ILTV ICP4 sequences in GenBank. Fourteen strains were identical or closely related to the chicken embryo origin live virus vaccine strains, and one strain was closely related to a Chinese isolate, the USDA reference strain, and a vaccine strain. The presence of ILT in BYFs in counties with high commercial poultry concentrations demonstrates a risk for disease transmission and emphasizes the importance of continued surveillance and improved biosecurity in BYFs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin A. Clothier ◽  
Peony Kim ◽  
Aslı Mete ◽  
Ashley E. Hill

Backyard poultry operations are increasingly popular and commonplace in both rural and suburban locations. Although Salmonella surveillance programs are well established for large commercial poultry systems, information on smaller operations is lacking. We identified the occurrence and serotype distribution of Salmonella spp. recovered from backyard flock cases submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (Davis, CA) in 2012–2015, and evaluated minimum inhibitory concentration for 12 antimicrobials as well as the lesions associated with Salmonella spp. in these cases. From records of 2,347 backyard flock cases with 2,627 samples, 44 samples (1.7%) were positive for Salmonella spp. DNA by PCR, and 41 (1.6%) of these samples yielded a Salmonella isolate by culture for further characterization. Seventeen different serotypes, including 3 isolates identified to the serogroup level, were identified from these isolates. Antimicrobial resistance was infrequent; however, 2 multidrug–resistant isolates were identified. Enteric or systemic lesions associated with Salmonella recovery were uncommon, with 77.3% of cases having no disease attributable to Salmonella. Recovered serotypes overlap with those seen in commercial poultry as well as in foodborne outbreaks reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in humans. Zoonotic risks via contact and food product contamination make monitoring of backyard flocks for Salmonella a critical part of flock surveillance programs, and we propose a potential sampling scheme.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-339
Author(s):  
Julia Blakey ◽  
Carmen Jerry ◽  
Ana da Silva ◽  
Simone Stoute

A 7-y-old backyard Leghorn chicken ( Gallus domesticus) was submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS)–Turlock branch for postmortem examination, with a history of unexpected death. At postmortem examination, a hemorrhagic soft tissue mass was observed in the cervical region. Microscopically, a densely cellular neoplasm of polygonal epithelial cells and small lymphocytes was observed. The microscopic features of the neoplasm in combination with positive immunohistochemistry for pancytokeratin and CD3 were used to classify the lesion as a thymoma. Thymoma was diagnosed in only 5 birds submitted to CAHFS from 1990 to 2019. Thymoma has been described only rarely in birds, and is an unusual diagnosis in backyard chickens.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 784-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Crispo ◽  
C. Gabriel Sentíes-Cué ◽  
George L. Cooper ◽  
Grace Mountainspring ◽  
Charles Corsiglia ◽  
...  

Infectious coryza, caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum, is an acute respiratory disease of poultry that can result in substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. In March 2017, the Turlock branch of the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory system encountered an unusual clinical and pathologic presentation of infectious coryza in 6 live, 29-d-old, commercial broiler chickens that were submitted for diagnostic investigation. Antemortem evaluation revealed severe neurologic signs, including disorientation, torticollis, and opisthotonos. Swollen head–like syndrome and sinusitis were also present. Histologically, severe sinusitis, cranial osteomyelitis, otitis media and interna, and meningoencephalitis were noted, explaining the clinical signs described. A. paragallinarum was readily isolated from the upper and lower respiratory tract, brain, and cranial bones. Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was also detected by PCR, and IBV was isolated in embryonated chicken eggs. Based on sequencing analysis, the IBV appeared 99% homologous to strain CA1737. A synergistic effect between A. paragallinarum and IBV, resulting in exacerbation of clinical signs and increased mortality, may have occurred in this case. A. paragallinarum should be considered among the possible causes of neurologic signs in chickens. Appropriate media should be used for bacterial isolation, and the role of additional contributing factors and/or complicating agents should be investigated in cases of infectious coryza.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Raghavender ◽  
B. Reddy

Mycotoxins are gaining increasing importance due to their deleterious effects on human and animal health. Chronic health risks are particularly prevalent in India where the diets of the people are highly prone to mycotoxins due to poor harvesting practices, improper storage and transport coupled with high temperature and moisture. This paper reviews disease outbreaks of mycotoxicoses other than aflatoxins in India due to ingestion of mycotoxincontaminated food. Ergotism is one of the earliest known outbreaks of mycotoxins reported in rural areas of western India associated with pearl millet grain. Trichothecenes have been involved in an acute human mycotoxicosis known as alimentary toxic aleukia in India during 1987 and were attributed to the consumption of mouldy wheat. Deoxynivalenol was implicated in an outbreak of emetic syndrome in Kashmir State. An outbreak of acute foodborne disease caused by fumonisin was reported in south India during 1995 affecting 1,424 people due to contaminated sorghum and maize. Rhizopus toxicosis was reported from Maharashtra State and caused the death of three people. These outbreaks continue to be a significant health problem of people in India, because their poor purchasing power compels them to consume contaminated food.


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (5-6-1) ◽  
pp. 411-420
Author(s):  
M. Zaulet ◽  
S.E. Georgescu ◽  
H. Coste

Fast diagnosis of Avian Influenza is a prerequisite for confining outbreaks. Diagnosis implies the differentiation of virulent and non-virulent Avian Influenza virus. After starting with PCR screening for matrix protein followed by identifying the presence of H5 and N1 genes, the diagnosis methodology within Romanian Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health has moved to rapid molecular tests for detecting the virulent and nonvirulent strains. During October-December 2005 over 3400 biological specimens from 16 affected poultry backyards from Eastern Romania were tested by Real- Time PCR in the first Romanian outbreak. Over 3000 specimens have been tested in 2006, in the second Romanian outbreak when commercial poultry farms from central and southern Romania were affected.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide De Forni ◽  
Barbara Poddesu ◽  
Giulia Cugia ◽  
Giovanni Gallizia ◽  
Massimo La Licata ◽  
...  

AbstractOzone is a powerful anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral agent, yet exposure to high levels of ozone can pose risks to human/animal health and, in the long term, corrode certain objects. In order to overcome these risks, we evaluated the potential of using a relatively short exposure of a low concentration of ozone to disinfect an indoor environment in the absence of individuals and animals. ICON3 by O3ZONO/M2L, a new disinfection device generating both ozone and negative ions, was selected to assess the potential of this strategy to inactivate different viral isolates of SARS-CoV-2.Tests under controlled laboratory conditions were performed in a system consisting of an ozone-proof airtight plastic box inside a biological safety cabinet, where suspensions of two strains of SARS-CoV-2 were exposed to ozone and negative ions and virucidal activity was measured by means of two complementary methodologies: viral replication capacity and viral titer determination.These studies revealed that low concentration ozone (average 3.18 ppm after the peak) inactivated up to >99% of SARS-CoV-2 within 20 minutes of exposure. Under controlled conditions, similar ozone exposure was recreated with ICON3 in different volume rooms (15, 30, 60 m3) where a linear relationship was observed between the room volume and the time of continuous ozone/ions flow required to reach and maintain the desired ozone levels used in the laboratory studies.These studies suggest that ICON3 may have the potential for use in the disinfection of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments in the absence of individuals and animals, under properly controlled and monitored safety conditions.


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