Salmonella/ Paratyphoid

[William Reid]

Was just having a read at this again .

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 • Diseases & Treatments • 32,612 views

Salmonella is the causative/pathogen agent and paratyphoid is the outcome.

 

DESCRIPTION:

Salmonella are gram negative bacteria that infect pigeons, other birds and even animals or humans. There are about 2000 species. Free-ranging birds can be sub-clinical carriers and so they simply are a reservoir of Salmonella. It is known that also mice and rats (and even flies) may be vectors of Salmonella. Various Salmonella species vary with geographic location and the types of food consumed. Imported birds may serve to introduce different Salmonella species to the local birds and can cause a devastating outbreak. This is what experts say when they refer to Salmonella in general, but if we consider our pigeons and think about the one loft races or other situations when many pigeons from different lofts are put together, we understand that this doesn’t really apply to pigeons, maybe they are pretty immune to it. Paratyphoid in pigeons is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium var. Copenhagen. It can not affect chickens for example, and chicken salmonela can’t affect pigeons. So, it is species specific. In 99% of cases pigeon paratyphoid comes from other pigeons (usually healthy looking, in a carrier state). No, rats and mice do not give pigoens salmonela like we often use to think, says Dr. Wim Peters.

 

salmonella

 

TRANSMISSION:

Transmission is done primarily through the air. The bacteria is in the nasal and or ocular secretions, fecal material, and feather dust. Salmonella outside the body dries as a dusty substance. This dust contaminates the air that can be inhaled by another bird. Susceptibility and the amount of contamination determine whether or not the new bird becomes infected. Contaminated feed and water can infect the bird too. Transmission of the bacteria to an egg can occur. The embryo may die if bacteria levels become too high. I guess this is why we sometimes find those “black†eggs with a dead chick inside. Youngsters fading away, going light, not growing like they should ca be signs of an infection with Salmonella, Paratyphus. Some tests done at the end of a racing season revealed that 73% of the race baskets were infected – and fanciers do not send sick looking birds to races so all the infection comes from healthy looking pigeons.

 

SYMPTOMS:

 

The most common symptoms of Salmonella/Paratyphoid in pigeons:

1. Diarrhea;

2. Torticollis;

3. Infectious arthritis;

4. Subcutaneous abscesses;

5. Infertility;

6. Acute death;

7. Chronic death / wasting away.

 

More than one of these can occur together in one pigeon.

 

1. Diarrhea is seen in pigeons of all ages. The intestinal type of infection usually produces a loose watery, green, voluminous and bed smelling dropping. It is important to distinguish it from the paramyxo dropping which is a watery splash with very little solid feces in the middle (looking like a worm in a splash of water). The droppings from paramyxo do not have any white (urates) from the kidney as paramyxo affects the kidney. In the salmonella droppings the urates (white matter) are usually visible, often greenish – yellow. The bird becomes light weight and wastes away.

 

2. Torticollis (the cerebral type of infection) occurs when a Salmonella abscess forms in the brain. The balance of the bird is affected and it will turn its head just like in the nervous symptoms of paramyxo. This movement is very difficult to distinguish from paramyxo. However, this kind of infection is pretty rare, and appears when the infection gets to the brain or when the internal ear is affected.

 

3. Infectious arthritis is seen as a swelling in the shoulder joint of an affected wing or as lameness caused by an infected joint in the foot or leg. The “ankle†joint is a favourite location. Pigeons with an infected wing joint droop the wing and tremble from the pain. The wing can even touch the floor hanging. The articular infection type is the most common type in a chronic Salmonella disease.

 

4. Subcutaneous abscesses occur allover the body but usually below the eye as a small swelling containing hard, yellow and dry pus. Often that will be the only sign.

 

5. Infertility (partial or total) in hens and cocks can often be accompanied by chronic death / wasting away.

 

6. Acute deaths can occur at any age. Young pigeons on the nest can die but even adult birds looking healthy can die suddenly.

 

7. Chronic death usually follows a long period of poor eating, listlessness losing weight and wasting away.

 

The carrier state may be present in totally unexpected birds. In the carrier state, no symptoms are observable. This is the “hiden†LATENT type of infection and is usually found in adults that apparently are healthy. There’s no desire to fly, they might have reproduction problems and the chicks in the nest get sick and might die. These pigeons are vectors that can infect the other birds any time.

 

DIAGNOSIS:

The diagnosis for the carrier state can be made from a droppings culture collected over 5-6 days. While the droppings are being collected you should keep them refrigerated. Dead and clinically sick pigeons can be sacrificed and examined with a bacterial culture done on all the organs. A culture from the joint fluid in bird with a drooped wing will usually confirm a diagnosis of Salmonella. Dead youngsters on the nest and “black eggs†can also be cultured.

 

HOW TO PREVENT Salmonella infections:

Proper hygiene is the best way to keep Salmonella away from the loft. Don’t overcrowd! The disease has a greater chance of spreading in overcrowded conditions and stale air environments. Overcrowding also lowers immunity by stressing the birds. The chance of becoming infected depends a lot on the number of bacteria taken in by the pigeon. If a pigeon swallows just a few of the bacteria, it will probably not become infected. This is why cleaning the loft can lower the spread of the disease. Taking in large numbers of bacteria can overload the bird’s immune system, the germs will proliferate and the disease becomes active. Then the bird will also spread the bacteria through its droppings.

 

Lowering the pH of the drinking water with apple cider vinegar can control the disease. The use of probiotics is also recommended. Lowering the pH of the intestinal content inhibits the growth of Salmonella, E coli and other pathogenic organisms. I tested my tap water and for a PH of 7 with a GH of 0, 5 ml of vinegar for 2 liters of water drop the PH from 7 to 4. Most fanciers recommend 5 ml/liter but you might need to adjust to suit your needs for the local water.

 

TREATMENT:

The problem is that there is no antibiotic that is 100% effective. Treatment of salmonella infections should be based on laboratory tests so that the appropriate antibiotic can be administered. You collect some droppings samples from the birds for several days and send them to a laboratory where, after a bacteriologic culture and an antibiogram, the right antibiotic will be prescribed. Make sure the pigeons didn’t receive antibiotics before the test for several weeks…or the test might be useless.

 

Treating the birds only for 4-5 days is pointless and stupid. Such a short cure will not cure Salmonella. It might just lower the symptoms and eventually put the bird in a carrier state (which is worse!).

 

Enrofloxacin / Baytril is usually prescribed for treating Salmonella, but only the lab test will confirm what exactly you need for your pigeons. A treatment with thrimetoprim (1 gr / 4 liters of water) takes a long time… if the weather is cold, the treatment should last 2 weeks, because the birds drink less water. DO NOT forget to give probiotics to the pigeons after the treatment because the antibiotics destroy ALL the bacteria in the intestines including beneficial bacteria. I’m amazed to see that often probiotics are forgotten, although they are extremely important in the fight against salmonella and for the well-being of the bird.

 

Vaccines can be used to prevent the disease. Before you vaccinate against Salmonella you must be sure that there is no Salmonella infection in the loft and this can be checked only by a lab test. If you vaccinate pigeons that already have Salmonella, you can have some serious vaccination reactions and many pigeons die because of this. Should I use vaccines for Salmonella? Well, some are good, some are no effective at all.

[Delboy]

good post Billy

[William Reid]

good post Billy

Del I said on a previous post I was thinking of trying the vaccine for the paratyphoid have you ever used it .

[frank-123]

I think this could be the problem for a lot of fanciers but if you have misused baytril over the years. You might not be able to clear it out the birds system before you were able to use a vaccine.

[frank-123]

Sorry Billy that baytril statement wasn't meaning you. Using baytril willy nilly when it comes to a real problem it won't touch it.

[William Reid]

Sorry Billy that baytril statement wasn't meaning you. Using baytril willy nilly when it comes to a real problem it won't touch it.

LOL didn't think it was frank. You know what I use as you used to get it for me

[frank-123]

LOL didn't think it was frank. You know what I use as you used to get it for me

Like any medication overuse might bite you on the erchie.

[Delboy]

Del I said on a previous post I was thinking of trying the vaccine for the paratyphoid have you ever used it .

 

Yes Billy, I have. Paratyphoid is the worst disease you can get in pigeons imo.

[Tony C]

Some additional reading on this subject Billy http://forum.pigeonbasics.com/topic/16879-paratyphoid-can-it-be-stopped/page__hl__paratyphoid

[Guest chad3646]

over crowding is the biggest problem

[David_vet]

I would agree that this has become more of a problem over the years. I have used vaccine with great success but it is not a cheap option. In my view you will only create problems trying to control it with antibiotics alone.

 

I have gone with the Chevivac S because it is just the one vaccination a year. In confirmed cases it can take 4 or 5 years to clear paratyphoid from the loft. There are no quick fixes.

 

If anyone wishes to progress this further then contact me or check out my website.

 

www.poultryhealthcentre.com look under pigeons!

 

David

[greenlands]

This better David ?

 

http://www.poultryhealthcentre.com/index.php/pigeons

[paddymac]

Very good and informative thread and links :emoticon-0137-clapping:

[William Reid]

Some additional reading on this subject Billy http://forum.pigeonbasics.com/topic/16879-paratyphoid-can-it-be-stopped/page__hl__paratyphoid

Thanks for that Tony . 21 pages

[gulkie]

I would agree that this has become more of a problem over the years. I have used vaccine with great success but it is not a cheap option. In my view you will only create problems trying to control it with antibiotics alone.

 

I have gone with the Chevivac S because it is just the one vaccination a year. In confirmed cases it can take 4 or 5 years to clear paratyphoid from the loft. There are no quick fixes.

 

If anyone wishes to progress this further then contact me or check out my website.

 

www.poultryhealthcentre.com look under pigeons!

 

David

Hi David is it possible to have salmonellÄ… in the loft without having any birds showing sign,s of same ???.

[walterboswell59]

Hi David is it possible to have salmonellÄ… in the loft without having any birds showing sign,s of same ???.

i can anser that for you wullie its a deff yes carriers show no symtoms

[Guest chad3646]

so what should be done with the carriers of salmonella ???

[Kyleakin Lofts]

so what should be done with the carriers of salmonella ???

 

My understanding was that you treated the loft with an antibiotic against paratyphus before vaccinating the lot. This an attempt to clear the problem prior to vaccination. The information I last had to hand was that you had to vaccinate twice a year at six monthly intervals. I have also been told that because there are so many variants that the vaccination is not fool-proof, it is however the only safeguard we have. Antibiotic treatment may clear the birds, but it gives no lasting protection whereas the vaccination does.

[walterboswell59]

so what should be done with the carriers of salmonella ???

suppose thats up to the fancier jimmy might be the best racer in the loft and you would have to get it tested to fined out m8 ask billy reid he has all the books

[Tony C]

so what should be done with the carriers of salmonella ???

For peace of mind ............ the bin. Been there done that.

[Guest chad3646]

For peace of mind ............ the bin. Been there done that.

 

 

thank,s tony

[Guest chad3646]

suppose thats up to the fancier jimmy might be the best racer in the loft and you would have to get it tested to fined out m8 ask billy reid he has all the books

 

 

well let,s say it was the best racer in the loft and it was a carrier what would you do with it ?

[walterboswell59]

well let,s say it was the best racer in the loft and it was a carrier what would you do with it ?

id treat it and keep cider vingerin the water its suppose to keep it away but who knows dont think id kill it if it was my best bird its a rock and a hard place that one we might all have them in the loft and not know it but you can find out quick if you vaccinate them if they have it it kills them who wants to take that chance

[MIK]

id treat it and keep cider vingerin the water its suppose to keep it away but who knows dont think id kill it if it was my best bird its a rock and a hard place that one we might all have them in the loft and not know it but you can find out quick if you vaccinate them if they have it it kills them who wants to take that chance

 

 

think the best racer would be easier to dispose than the best breeder...now thats a hard decision

[Tony C]

well let,s say it was the best racer in the loft and it was a carrier what would you do with it ?

 

The bin, have had to do it with one of the best pigeons I ever had 1st 4600, 3rd 4300 + multiple positions in the fed. Twas a direct son of a Combine winner so it had the blood too.