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Erysipelas Infection

Important in commercial turkeys on range.

It is less of a problem in turkeys reared in confinement unless there is a paddock area. The organism gets into the soil

Same organism as in swine.

Septicemic disease.

Usually seen in young adult tome turkeys in wet weather.

Zoonosis.

Causative Agent

Bacterium, Erysipelothrix rhusipopathiae

Small gram (+) rod that grows in pinpoint

colonies on artificial media.

Alpha hemolytic – 2 or 3 days.

Can be stained in blood smear of infected

birds.

Incubation Period

2 - 5 Days

Course of Disease

2 – 3 Weeks

Mortality

From 2 - 25%

Methods of Spread

Contaminated soil primary source. This is a

problem for flocks raised on the range.

Other domestic animals.

Fighting among males is the principal

means of spread in a flock.

Biological and mechanical vector such as

flies, rats, etc….

Artificial insemination in turkey hens.

Clinical Signs

Sudden onset with depression and mortality.

Turkeys from 4 to 7 months usually.

Usually in males. Females can get it through

artificial insemination.

Yellow or greenish diarrhea.

Cyanosis of head.

Cyanosis

Clinical Signs (Continued)

Swollen reddish snood is quite characteristic.

Swollen hock joints occasionally.

Thick nasal exudate is common.

“Brush mark” hemorrhages on head and face.

Hens die 4 – 5 days after Al.

Swollen snood

Snood

Comment

Erysipelas is primarily a wound infection that

becomes septicemic.

Probably spread through the digestive tract or

Al in breeders in epidemic cases in turkey

hens.

Comment

Erysipelas will infect humans and cause an

erysipeloid.

The disease is also thought to be related to

arthritis in humans.

WEAR GLOVES TO NECROPSY

TURKEYS!

Erysipeloid

Postmortem Lesions

Hemorrhages in muscles and on the heart,

lungs, spleen, gizzard and small intestines.

“Erysipelas blush,” purple irregular-shaped

blotches on the skin of the breast.

Hemorrhages

Hemorrhages

SQ hemorrhage

Erysipelas ‘blush”

Postmortem Lesions (Continued)

Liver congested, engorged with blood and

friable, focal necrosis occasionally. May see

bacteria in Kupffer cells with impression

smear of liver.

Spleen – congested and dark purple.

Congestion of duodenum.

Endocarditis – especially in vaccinated

turkeys.

Liver hemorrhage

Congested liver

Congested spleen

Hemorrhages

Endocarditis

Presumptive Diagnosis

Gram-positive pleomorphic rods in stained

smears of the liver, spleen, heart blood or

bone marrow.

Diagnosis

SUGGESTIVE –

Flat mortality curve in toms.

Swollen snood in males.

Yellow to green diarrhea.

Extensive hemorrhage.

Must differentiate from fowl cholera.

Mortality curve

Mortality vs. cholera

Diagnosis

POSITIVE –

Isolation and identification of the causative agent.

Identification of the organism

Colonies

H2S on TSI agar

Treatment

10,000 unit K or Na penicillin IM or SC in

visibly sick birds – hospital pen.

1,000,000 – 1,500,000 units pen/gal in

drinking water for 4 or 5 days (most effective

and legal).

Bacterin + No. 1 above in sick birds.

Move to new range.

Treatment (Continued)

PENICILLIN – 200 gm/ton for 2 – 3 weeks

less effective than injections.

TETRACYCLINEES – 200 gm/ton 4 – 5 days.

ERYTHROMYCIN – 2 gm/gal; 100 gm/ton for

5 days. Can also inject.

Prevention

De-snood tom poults in hatchery may or may

not be helpful.

Do not us infected range. Try to wait 2 or

more years between the use of ranges.

Confinement rearing.

Vaccinate – in high risk areas.

Prevention

Bacterin available for use in high risk areas.

Vaccinate market toms 1 time at 12 to 16 weeks.

Toms are usually marketed at 18 – 19 weeks of age.

Breeders – hens and toms 2 times – first time at 16

to 20 weeks. A second done 4 to 8 weeks later.

Live vaccine now available.

Recommended vaccinate 3 times in water 4 weeks

apart.

Expensive at $0.35/dose.