Poultry and the Paratyphoids

ALL TYPES of poultry are important reservoirs of paratyphoid infections. As applied to poultry diseases, the term ''paratyphoid" denotes diseases caused by micro-organisms of the Salmonella group other than Salmonella pullorum (puUorum disease) and Salmonella gallinarum (fowl typhoid). More than 60 of the 200-odd types of Salmonella that are known to exist cause diseases in poultry. With the rapid expansion and increased traffic in the poultry industry in recent years, paratyphoid infections have become a problem of utmost concern. The wide natural distribution of the Salmonella organisms has made the establishment of efficient control methods most difficult. The distribution of paratyphoid infections is worldwide. Unlike pullorum disease and fowl typhoid, which are essentially restricted to poultry, the paratyphoids can infect practically all animal species, including man. Among avian types, these infections cause severe losses among the young of most domesticated and wild fowl, including turkeys, chickens, pigeons, geese, ducks, quail, canaries, parrots, finches, sparrows, and guinea fowl. Mammalian types that may be infected with Salmonella and transmit the disease to poultry include swine, cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, and foxes. Mice, rats, snakes, flies, and roaches may also carry the organisms. The discussion that follows is restricted to the disease as it occurs in turkeys; however, paratyphoid infections as they occur in other fowl are quite similar in symptons, postmortem lesions, treatment, and control. Micro-organisms belonging to the genus Paracolohactrum (so-called paracolons), which are closely related to the Salmonella, have been reported as the cause of a septicémie disease of young fowl. Laboratory procedures are required for accurate identification of this group of diseases. Members of the Arizona group of paracolons are especially pathogenic for young turkeys and may be eggborne. Like the Salmonella, the paracolons are distributed in a wide variety of animal species under natural conditions and are usually eliminated in the droppings of infected animals. The symptoms and postmortem lesions as well as the control and treatment of paracolon infections are identical to those described for the paratyphoids. The microscopic organism that causes paratyphoid infection was first reported in turkeys in 1933. The bacteria can be readily cultivated in the laboratory and through a special procedure, called serological typing, the various types can be identified. Information derived from typing the organism aids in tracing the origin of disease outbreaks and permits men who work to control disease to concentrate their eñ'orts toward the eradication of the more widespread and deadly types. Salmonella typhimurium is the most frequently encountered paratyphoid in poultry and most other animal species. Other types frequently encountered in turkeys include S. anatum (common also in ducks), S. bredeney, S. derby, S. newport, and S. senjtenherg.