the university of georgia - ava.org.afava.org.af/books/erysipelas.pdf · erysipelas infection...
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Erysipelas Infection
Important in commercial turkeys on range.
It is less of a problem in turkeys reared in confinement unless there is a paddock area. The organism gets into the soil
Same organism as in swine.
Septicemic disease.
Usually seen in young adult tome turkeys in wet weather.
Zoonosis.
Causative Agent
Bacterium, Erysipelothrix rhusipopathiae
Small gram (+) rod that grows in pinpoint
colonies on artificial media.
Alpha hemolytic – 2 or 3 days.
Can be stained in blood smear of infected
birds.
Incubation Period
2 - 5 Days
Course of Disease
2 – 3 Weeks
Mortality
From 2 - 25%
Methods of Spread
Contaminated soil primary source. This is a
problem for flocks raised on the range.
Other domestic animals.
Fighting among males is the principal
means of spread in a flock.
Biological and mechanical vector such as
flies, rats, etc….
Artificial insemination in turkey hens.
Clinical Signs
Sudden onset with depression and mortality.
Turkeys from 4 to 7 months usually.
Usually in males. Females can get it through
artificial insemination.
Yellow or greenish diarrhea.
Cyanosis of head.
Cyanosis
Clinical Signs (Continued)
Swollen reddish snood is quite characteristic.
Swollen hock joints occasionally.
Thick nasal exudate is common.
“Brush mark” hemorrhages on head and face.
Hens die 4 – 5 days after Al.
Swollen snood
Snood
Comment
Erysipelas is primarily a wound infection that
becomes septicemic.
Probably spread through the digestive tract or
Al in breeders in epidemic cases in turkey
hens.
Comment
Erysipelas will infect humans and cause an
erysipeloid.
The disease is also thought to be related to
arthritis in humans.
WEAR GLOVES TO NECROPSY
TURKEYS!
Erysipeloid
Postmortem Lesions
Hemorrhages in muscles and on the heart,
lungs, spleen, gizzard and small intestines.
“Erysipelas blush,” purple irregular-shaped
blotches on the skin of the breast.
Hemorrhages
Hemorrhages
SQ hemorrhage
Erysipelas ‘blush”
Postmortem Lesions (Continued)
Liver congested, engorged with blood and
friable, focal necrosis occasionally. May see
bacteria in Kupffer cells with impression
smear of liver.
Spleen – congested and dark purple.
Congestion of duodenum.
Endocarditis – especially in vaccinated
turkeys.
Liver hemorrhage
Congested liver
Congested spleen
Hemorrhages
Endocarditis
Presumptive Diagnosis
Gram-positive pleomorphic rods in stained
smears of the liver, spleen, heart blood or
bone marrow.
Diagnosis
SUGGESTIVE –
Flat mortality curve in toms.
Swollen snood in males.
Yellow to green diarrhea.
Extensive hemorrhage.
Must differentiate from fowl cholera.
Mortality curve
Mortality vs. cholera
Diagnosis
POSITIVE –
Isolation and identification of the causative agent.
Identification of the organism
Colonies
H2S on TSI agar
Treatment
10,000 unit K or Na penicillin IM or SC in
visibly sick birds – hospital pen.
1,000,000 – 1,500,000 units pen/gal in
drinking water for 4 or 5 days (most effective
and legal).
Bacterin + No. 1 above in sick birds.
Move to new range.
Treatment (Continued)
PENICILLIN – 200 gm/ton for 2 – 3 weeks
less effective than injections.
TETRACYCLINEES – 200 gm/ton 4 – 5 days.
ERYTHROMYCIN – 2 gm/gal; 100 gm/ton for
5 days. Can also inject.
Prevention
De-snood tom poults in hatchery may or may
not be helpful.
Do not us infected range. Try to wait 2 or
more years between the use of ranges.
Confinement rearing.
Vaccinate – in high risk areas.
Prevention
Bacterin available for use in high risk areas.
Vaccinate market toms 1 time at 12 to 16 weeks.
Toms are usually marketed at 18 – 19 weeks of age.
Breeders – hens and toms 2 times – first time at 16
to 20 weeks. A second done 4 to 8 weeks later.
Live vaccine now available.
Recommended vaccinate 3 times in water 4 weeks
apart.
Expensive at $0.35/dose.