ARS | Publication request: PATHOGENICITY OF TWO SALMONELLA PULLORUM ISOLATES FROM BACKYARD POULTRY

Submitted to: United States Animal Health Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 15, 2003
Publication Date: October 15, 2003
Citation: Waltman, D., Gast, R.K. 2003. Pathogenicity Of Two Salmonella Pullorum Isolates From Backyard Poultry. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association Committee on Salmonella. p.25 2003.

Technical Abstract: Over the last two years, Salmonella pullorum was isolated from two separate backyard flocks. The clinical manifestation of the disease and the cultural characteristics of the organisms were not exactly typical for pullorum disease. Therefore a study was conducted to investigate the comparative pathogenicity of these isolates in young chickens. A known strain of pullorum and the two backyard isolates were orally inoculated into 1-day-old chicks. Additionally, a group of uninoculated contact chicks were mixed in with the exposed birds. Mortality was monitored for 14 days. In addition to culturing dead birds, representative birds were necropsied and cultured every few days. The known pullorum strain produced 78% mortality, whereas the GA2002 isolate had a mortality of 6% and the GA2003 isolate mortality was 11%. Even though the two backyard isolates produced only modest mortality, almost 100% of the inoculated birds were organ positive for the respective isolate.