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A survey was carried out to investigate the aerobic bacterial flora of captive houbara (Chlamydotis undulata), kori (Ardeotis kori) and rufous-crested (Eupodotis ruficrista) bustards maintained at the National Avian Research Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. None of the houbara or rufous-crested bustards sampled were bred in captivity by the Center but four of the kori bustards sampled were captive-bred. Faecal, cloacal, oropharyngeal and skin samples (from under the wing) from clinically normal bustards were taken during routine handling of the birds. Samples were also taken from clinical cases, carcasses and failed eggs. Culture for fungi was also carried out. Bacteria belonging to several different genera were isolated from the three species, they included Staphylococcus aurais and Escherichia coli and also species of Aeromonas, Bacillus, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Micrococcus, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Serratia, Sphingobacterium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Vibrio. Fungal cultures yielded species of Aspergillus and Candida albicans. This appears to be the first bacterial survey carried out on bustards and shows that they are colonized by a wide range of bacteria, some of which were also isolated from disease conditions.

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