Abstract:
This study was carried out for the investigation of an outbreak in Karachi. A disease outbreak in poultry was reported during April, 2004 in Karachi. The main symptoms included respiratory distress, sneezing and gasping. Autopsy of dead birds showed Tracheitis airsacculitis and involvement of lungs. The morbid material was collected for processing in the laboratory. During the investigation or isolation of pathogenic bacteria or virus, Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale was isolated on 5% sheep blood agar plates in an atmosphere containing 5-10% CO2 at 37ºC and identified through biochemical and fermentation tests. A Lasota like virus was also isolated from the same material, which showed HA activity but was found negative to Avian Influenza virus against know Avian Influenza serum. The isolated virus was sent to Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybride, U.K., which confirmed it to be Lasota virus having comparatively high Intracerebral Pathogenicity Indies (ICPI) as 0.90. Attempts for the transmission of the disease in susceptible healthy broiler chicks was successful through aerosol route using combination of inoculum of the isolated bacterial and virus. On post-mortem of infected birds air-sacculitis, tracheitis and unilateral pneumonia were noticed. Again ORT and NDV were isolated form the material harvested from these chicks. According to the observations on these experiments it was concluded that the isolated ORT had a triggering effect on Lasota virus or vice versa. The environmental temperature and other stress factors might have aggravated the disease problem.
Page(s):
15-18
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Veterinary Research, Volume: 1, Issue: 1, Year: 2003