Predominantly enteral form of Derzsy's disease - Part I. Case reports

In the first half of 1998, the authors observed in several Hungarian geese flocks a predominantly or exclusively enteral form of Derzsy's disease that appears identical to the form of Derzsy's disease reported in the internat ional literature as virus enteritis which had not been detected in Hungary previously. Commencing on day 13-15 of life and starting to decline from da y 30 onwards, mortality ranged from 9 to 27% overalle, as observed in flock s of young geese counting 600 to 3000 birds per flock (Figure 1). By the ag e of 5-6 weeks, many of the surviving animals were stunted producing gross inhomogeneity in the size of the birds in the Rock and there was also feath er loss to be seen (Table). Typical clinical signs in the acute phase were diarrhoea and resultant exsiccosis (Figure 2). Pathologically and histopathologically there was enteritis in the small int estine (sometimes with fibrin cylinders in the intestinal lumen as shown in Figure 4, necrosis of the Lieberkuhn glands (Figure 6) with acidophil incl usion bodies in the nuclei of their cells (Figure 7). Often, there was also accompanying necrotic inflammation of the mucosal membranes of the oral ca vity, tongue and pharynx (Figures 3, 5, 10 and II). These individuals did n ot exhibit the typical signs of the usual ascitic form of Derzsy's disease (myocardial inflammation and degeneration, nuclear inclusion bodies in card iomyocytes, hepatosis, hepatitis, etc.). The parvovirus was found by ELISA in the organs of the diseased and dead go slings and it was also isolated. Diagnosis is based on the clinical signs, epidemiology and pathology of the disease, especially the histopathology of the small intestine, as well as demonstration of the virus.