Animal Disease Avian Cholera

• what is avian cholera?

  contagious disease primarily of waterfowl
• is avian cholera acture, chronic, or peracute?

  peracute
• what does peracute mean?

  intensive, short, and rapid
• what type of disease in avian cholera?

  zoonotic
• what is the causative agent of this disease?

  bacteria
• what is the shape of this bacterial diseasE?

  non-motile aerobic coccobacillus
• what gram stain is this disease?

  gram negative
• what happens to this disease when it is stained with Giemsa?

  bipolar appearance with small dots
• what is the host of this disease?

  birds
• what is the distribution?

  world wide
• when was this disease imported or discovered?

  1944
• where is the most common place of this disease?

  California, Texas, Sas
• what time of year does this disease occur?

  year round
• what is the ecology of this disease?

  birds that roost or nest communally are more susceptible
• what can cause this disease?

  stress and crowding
• how long can this bacteria survive outside?

  3 weeks in water, 4 months in soil
• how is this disease transmitted?

  unknow, ingestion, inhalation, mechanical
• how is the infective bacteria shed into water?

  nasal discharge or feces
• what causes this disease to spread through inhalation?

  splashing of water from birds taking flight
• what are other ways this disease can be spread?

  carcasses or scavengers
• how is the bacteria ingested or inhaled?

  through mucus membranes in pharynx or upper respiratory tract
• what is the pharynx in birds?

  around the esophagus
• how does this disease enter the body?

  blood stream where it divides rapidly
• what occurs after the bacteria enters the blood stream?

  septicemia
• what is septicemia?

  position of the birds blood stream causing mortality and lesions
• what are signs of avian cholera?

  large numbers of dead birds, no clinical signs
• what are some symptoms of this disease if the birds show any?

  lethargic or drowsy, head thrown back between wings, erratic flight, bloody discharge, diarrhea, pulmonary edema
• what is pulmonary edema?

  Fluid accumulation in the lungs.
• what are internal symptoms of avian chorlera?

  hemorrhagic lesions on heart and gizzard, necrotic foci on liver, lower digestive tract with thick yellow fluid
• what is necrotic foci?

  group of dead cells
• why does necrotic foci attack the liver?

  bacteria in the blood and liver detoxifies the bacterial toxins
• what is the result of this disease?

  death
• what is the diagnosis of avian cholera?

  dead birds in good condition, bipolar stains of blood, common clinical signs, bacterial isolation from liver tissues or the gut
• what is the control of this disease?

  burn carcasses
• how can we prevent avian cholera from spreading?

  reduce scavenging birds