Salmonellosis in birds: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Salmonellosis is a common disease for animals, birds and humans. Supervisory authorities are constantly fighting this disease, but periodically there are new foci of infection. If a person becomes ill with salmonellosis, then treatment should be started as soon as possible, this will help to avoid complications.

History of the occurrence of the disease

Diseases with symptoms similar to salmonellosis were noticed in the 19th century. In 1885, two scientists investigated what they thought was the causative agent of swine fever, suipestifer. Later it became clear that their conclusions were not entirely correct. One of the scientists had the surname Salmon, which gave the name to the new disease.

In 1888, A. Gertner began to study the insidious pathogen. He found it during a post-mortem examination of the tissues of a deceased person. A similar microbe was also found in the meat that was eaten by the deceased. So the relationship between salmonellosis in humans and animals was found.

Later, other microorganisms were identified, very reminiscent of the already known to scientistspathogen. They were grouped under the salmonella bacteria group.

What is salmonellosis

The disease called salmonellosis has an infectious origin. It affects birds, animals and humans. It is caused by pathogens from the genus Salmonella. When the disease is mainly affected by the gastrointestinal tract.

When a poultry farm or private farmsteads become infected with salmonellosis (salmonellosis avium), a large number of young animals die. The surviving chickens noticeably lag behind in growth, their maintenance becomes economically unprofitable. In addition, a bird that has been ill forever remains a carrier of salmonellosis and is capable of infecting others. These chickens have reduced immunity, so secondary infections begin to stick to them.

Economic losses after the epidemic in the economy are huge. It is necessary to re-form the parent flock, because a sick bird and eggs from it serve as sources of the causative agent of salmonellosis. But this must be done, otherwise the farm is threatened by more and more epidemics that will ultimately ruin the farmer.

How is salmonella infection more common in poultry? The disease can pass to he althy individuals from fellows, and the danger is also poor-quality food and seeded equipment. What to feed ducklings and chickens to reduce the risk of infection? The diet should consist of quality grains and proven vitamin supplements.

Incubation period for disease development

The causative agent of salmonellosis has many variations, so the incubation period depends onthe type of strain diagnosed in an animal or bird. Most often, the first signs of the disease begin to appear 3-5 days after contact with an infected relative, infected meat or contaminated equipment. In the chronic course of the disease, the carrier can serve as a source of salmonellosis for many years.

The ideal temperature for the life and reproduction of the pathogen is 37-38 degrees Celsius. The bacterium does not belong to the class of particularly resistant, but in the ground and excrement of birds or animals it can live up to 10 months. In cottage cheese and butter, the virus persists for up to six months, in smoked or s alted meat - up to 12 weeks. In drinking water, a source of salmonellosis can survive up to 4 months.

To combat contamination of inventory, you can use liquids with chlorine and peroxide. Also, scalding with boiling water for 15-20 minutes gives a good effect.

Signs and symptoms of disease

Salmonella enter the body most often with food, they move through the gastric tract to the intestines. It is here that pathogens overcome the epithelial barrier. Bacteria penetrate into the thickness of tissues, where they begin to multiply intensively. They are distributed with the lymphatic current throughout the body.

In the process of infection, some pathogens die, this contributes to the occurrence of intoxication. Lethargy begins to increase in the bird, it may refuse to feed, spend more time in a lying position. There is discharge from the eyes and beak. In the acute course of the disease, sometimes the bird dies veryquickly and without any symptoms. In this case, it is desirable to conduct a post-mortem examination of the deceased individuals. The chronic course of the disease, in which the bird becomes a lifelong carrier, can also be asymptomatic.

At autopsy, dead chickens and ducklings show necrosis on internal organs, brain damage, and pulmonary edema. In recently hatched individuals, an unresolved yolk is found during pathological anatomical examination. In an adult bird, damage to the oviducts and inflammatory processes in the abdominal cavity are observed.

Salmonellosis in chickens

Chickens are most often affected by the strain of the disease that is most dangerous to humans. In a salmonella-affected farm, 10-15 percent of chickens usually die in the first days after birth. An adult bird dies less often, but ill individuals remain carriers throughout their lives.

In chickens, inflammation of the internal organs, tissue necrosis begins. Over time, the symptoms of salmonellosis in birds increase, treatment is required. If the chicken's immunity is strong, then the disease becomes chronic, otherwise it dies. Bird death almost always occurs due to dehydration and sepsis.

The disease often affects chickens that receive traditional food, that is, eggs, cottage cheese, crushed grain. Birds that eat commercial feed are less likely to get sick.

Salmonellosis in turkeys

Turkeys are very sensitive to salmonellosis pathogens, especially at a young age. Manychicks affected by the disease die shortly after birth. Survivors lag behind in growth and development, often they die later anyway. An adult bird most often survives, but its disease becomes chronic. Such individuals become lifelong carriers of the infection.

In young animals, a few days after infection, lethargy begins to increase, the bird becomes drowsy and inactive. The excrement of a sick turkey becomes whitish or yellowish in color, and subsequently develops diarrhea. Without treatment, inflammation of the cloaca and even sealing it with feces is possible.

Sick turkeys lose interest in food, they either completely refuse it, or take food with reluctance. The bird begins to experience intense thirst, its water intake increases. After the turkeys, the heart is damaged, they have shortness of breath. The bird goes into convulsions before dying.

Salmonellosis in ducks and geese

Salmonellosis in waterfowl is more severe than, for example, in chickens. Ducklings and goslings are especially susceptible to the pathogen in the first 2-3 weeks of life. If the chick became infected during the incubation of the egg, then the first signs of the disease become noticeable after 12 hours. Older ducklings and goslings have a longer incubation period, usually 2-3 days.

Sick chicks lose their appetite, sleep a lot, look inactive. Soon they develop lameness, they begin to stagger when moving. There are outflows from the eyes and beak, diarrhea begins. Defeat occurscentral uneven system, the chicks fall on their side and pull their paws in the air. Within a few days, up to 30 percent of ducklings die. For goslings, this figure is even higher - 20-40 babies out of a hundred will survive.

What to feed ducklings during treatment? It is better to give preference to ready-made industrial diets for young waterfowl. Any eggs are excluded, even boiled, cottage cheese, grain mixtures that cause suspicion.

Adult ducks and geese most often survive the disease and become carriers of infectious agents. However, with weak immunity, the death of mature individuals is still possible. Sometimes, against the background of damage to the central nervous system, ducks and geese begin to swim backwards. It seems to some that it looks ridiculous, but these are the last hours of a bird's life. This ailment is also called the disease of shapeshifters.

Salmonellosis in other poultry species

Many species of birds are extremely susceptible to salmonellosis. For example, in lory parrots and penguins, the disease most often occurs in an acute form and ends in death. Sparrows with salmonellosis almost always develop heart failure. But in gray African Jaco parrots, the disease usually becomes chronic. Surviving individuals become carriers of infection for their entire lives.

The disease also has common symptoms that can be observed in different species of birds. With salmonellosis, affected individuals quickly become dehydrated. Often there are necrosis, deterioration of the quality of the pen and its loss. With pathoanatomic althe study often reveals purulent inflammation of the internal organs. The liver, intestines, and gallbladder are usually affected.

Ways of bird infection

How is Salmonellosis more common? The most common method is fecal-oral. This means that the bacteria excreted through the feces of a sick animal get to a he althy one by penetrating through the oral cavity.

In humans, infection usually occurs through poorly cooked food. Salmonellosis in eggs in boiling water can survive for 3-4 minutes. Undercooked meat also serves as a source of infection. It is impossible to visually recognize contaminated products, so only sufficient heat treatment is a preventive measure.

Salmonellosis can be transmitted through unboiled water. This method is often the cause of epidemics in poultry farms. But doctors are aware of cases when people became infected through unboiled water that was contaminated. Salmonellosis in poultry is common after contact with fellow birds or contaminated equipment.

Diagnosis of salmonellosis

When diagnosing salmonellosis, bacteriological and serological research methods are used. It is better to take material from patients at the first sign of infection. For bacteriological examination, the contents of the stomach, excrement, vomit, urine, blood and pus are handed over. Serological studies begin on the 7-8th day of illness.

The veterinarian can make a preliminary diagnosis,based on symptoms. This usually happens if clinical trials are not possible for some reason. But here it is important not to confuse salmonellosis with other similar diseases: ornithosis, duckling sinusitis, infectious hepatitis. In addition to these ailments, a similar symptomatic picture can be observed when poisoning with poor-quality feed.

Treatment of salmonellosis

If salmonellosis in poultry is confirmed by symptoms and tests, then treatment should be selected individually for each patient. This is due to the diversity of pathogens. Each individual strain of Salmonellosis requires its own specific treatment.

It is especially difficult to help a bird with a gastrointestinal form of the disease. To date, there are no known antibiotics that would be highly effective in this type of disease. In this case, the main emphasis is on restoring the water balance in the body, removing intoxication and maintaining immunity. At the first signs of the disease, the affected animal is shown gastric lavage. Veterinarians often prescribe calcium supplements to help manage episodes of diarrhea.

In case of a mild form of the disease, symptomatic treatment is prescribed for infected animals. Sometimes with good immunity, no drugs are required at all. When a salmonellosis epidemic in poultry begins, symptoms and treatment should be communicated to all farm workers.

Salmonellosis prevention

To prevent the disease in the event of an epidemic, all affected birds must be destroyed. If athis is impossible for some reason, then suspicious individuals are isolated. The treated bird is carefully examined and only then released into the general flock.

To prevent salmonellosis, antibiotics are added to drinking water on farms. During the epidemic, the movement of poultry and its sale to other farms is prohibited. Any purchased animals must be quarantined before being released to the general herd.

If an epidemic has begun on the farm, then all feeders, drinkers and other equipment must be disinfected. Personnel caring for animals must be informed about the procedure and the risk of infection. In order to avoid an epidemic, it is necessary to vaccinate the bird in a timely manner. Compliance with hygiene standards and minimizing stress in animals gives a good he alth effect.

Do quails get salmonellosis?

Recently, quail eggs have become increasingly popular among the population. They, unlike carcasses, are affordable. They are added to soups and salads, used in the preparation of dough, and even drunk raw. Considerable popularity of quail eggs is added by talk that it is impossible to get infected with salmonellosis through them. Is this true or is it a myth that the manufacturers themselves are spreading?

Unfortunately, salmonella infection of quail eggs is possible, and in no case should they be eaten raw. The myth about their safety was invented to increase sales of a product that the population at that time had not yet had time to taste. In order for the use of quail eggs to become completelysafe, they need to be cooked for at least 4-5 minutes in boiling water. The meat of these birds must also be subjected to heat treatment.