Fow 1 cholera (FC) is a contagious disease affecting domesticated and wild birds. It usually appears as a septicemic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, but chronic or benign conditions occasionally occur.
In Korea, FC caused by Pas...
Fow 1 cholera (FC) is a contagious disease affecting domesticated and wild birds. It usually appears as a septicemic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, but chronic or benign conditions occasionally occur.
In Korea, FC caused by Pasteurella multocida was firstly diagnosed in waterfow ls (Baikal teal;Anas formosa), which were submitted to National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service in 2000. The total number of dead birds was high and estimated as 13,228, which was about 10% of total Baikal teal found around Cheonsoo bay, which is most famous place as habitat for Baikal teal around the world.
Although the clinical sings were limited because of sudden death, the gross lesions of dead Baikal teals were fairly specific and were multifocal necrotic foci in the liver with enlargement, petechial and/or ecchymotic hemorrhages on the epicardium, speenomegaly and presence of excess mucoid exudates in the mucosa of duodenum. These gross lesions were also similar to the histopathological lesions which were hepatocytic necrosis with intralesional becterial colonization, hemorrhage and necrosis in the heart, and hemorrhagic enteritis. P. multocida was isolated from the liver and heart of the birds submitted, and identified by biochemical and physiological properties including colonial morphology, gram staining, sugar fermentation and growth on MacConkey's agar. In the susceptibility to antibiotices, the isolates were susceptible to 20 different drugs except for gentamicin and kanamycin.
Based on the agar gel immunodiffusion test, the isolate P-627 of P. multocida was serologically identified as somatic serotype 1 X 12 X 14.
Author applied multiplex PCR assay to differentiate capsular serogroup A, B and D of P. multocidia, and each primer designed for a specific serogrouping yielded highly specific products for reference strains of serogroup A, B, and D, respectively. With the result, isolate P-627 was classified as capsular serogroup A, which was ubiquitous in the world, and predominated in avian hosts affected with FC. In specificity test, the pathogen was also differentiated from the bacteria commonly found in the chickens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella pullorum, Riemerella anatipestifer, et al.
Fifty percent of mouse lethal dose (LD_50) value of the isolate P-627 was estimated as 1X10_05CFU. And the pathogenicity of the isolate for domestic poultry, including commercial layers, broiler breeders and ducks were examined. These birds were inoculated with ten-fold dilutions (from 10^6 to 10^1 CFU/01 ml) of the bacteria via the intramuscular(IM) and intratracheal(IT) route than those via IT route. Among domesticated fow ls, the highest susceptibility appeared in the commercial layers in which mortality rates were over 80%. In all dead birds, P. multocida was consistently isolated from the liver and spleen. This results demonstrated that the isolate has highly potential virulence for domesticated poultry.
The pathogenesis of fow 1 cholera in the chickens experimentally infected with isolate P-627 of P. multocida was also examined. The affected birds died without clinically specific signs from 24 to 96 hrs after inoculation. All dead birds had gross lesions of an acute hemorrhagic septicemia with petechial and/or ecchymotic hemorrhages on the epicardium and over alll serosal surfaces. Histopathologically, prominant vascular lesions and the extensive filorin exudations over parenchymatous organs caused by acute vascular damage were observed. The frequency of fibrinous thrombi, representing disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), were observed most highly in the lungs of all dead chickens, and followed by the spleen, liver, heart and duodenum which were major target organs.
For demonstration of P. multocida antigens in the tissuses, an immunoperoxidase technique based on the labelled avidin-biotin complex method was established. Immunoreactions were detected in the blood vessels of visceral organs, mucosae of digestive and respiratory tracts, and inflammatory cells at the times of 12 hrs to 96 hrs after inoculation.
To analyse the changes of trace mineral in the blood during acute phase of infection, the concentrations of iron, magnesium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium were examined. Among them, iron concentrations were rapidly decreased between 24 hrs and 36 hrs after exposure. At these stage, the highest rate of bacterial reisolation also occurred in the blood.
The study results indicated that isolate P-627, first isolated from Baikal teals affected with FC in 2000, was typed as capsular A and somatic 1 X 12 X 14 serotype, and could be considered to be highly virulent for domesticated poultry. Also this study suggested that, in chickens, the bacteria could cause acute infection characterized by septicemia, with irreversible lesions occurring in the lungs, liver and spleen, eventually resulting in deadth caused by disseminated intravasoular coagulation(DIC) shock. For the control of the disease, however, will be needed to detect wild birds and mammals known to be latent carriers of P. multocida and to monitor the outbreak of FC in commercial poultry.