Thirty-four rat carcases from 11 poultry farms were examined for the presence of Pasteurella multocida; 14 out of 34 (41 per cent) proved positive after mouse inoculation, compared with five out of 34 (14 per cent) using media alone. No salmonellae were recovered from 27 rat carcases using enrichment media. Poultry pasteurellosis was present on two farms with infected rats and the same serotype was present in rats and poultry in those cases.
To investigate to what extent healthy chickens and turkeys may be carriers of Pasteurella multocida, oral swabs were examined from birds in flocks with or without a history of avian pasteurellosis. In all 841 specimens were examined by cultural methods but 142 were also tested by mouse inoculation. P multocida was not found in specimens from normal healthy flocks but was recovered from some live chickens in known infected flocks and from dead turkeys on an infected farm. The implications of these findings are briefly discussed.
Eight cats on six poultry farms, four of which had a history of recent turkey pasteurellosis were examined for Pasteurella multocida infection. Nine strains were recovered and serotyped and of these five were tested for virulence in chickens and mice. By comparison with a strain from a field outbreak in turkeys three cat strains were considered capable of causing poultry disease. These findings are discussed epidemiologically.
The virulence of 100, 54 and nine avian isolates of Pasteurella multocida for mice, chickens and turkey poults respectively was assessed and rated on a scale from 0 to 5. Cellular and colonial morphology of the bacteria was examined after mouse passage. There was evidence of a considerable range in the virulence of the isolates for the test species, but no correlation between cellular or colonial morphology and virulence was detected. The results obtained are discussed in relation to general epidemiological considerations.
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