SPIKING MORTALITY OF TURKEY POULTS - 2 - EFFECT OF 6 DIFFERENT IN-VITRO DISINFECTION TECHNIQUES ON ORGAN HOMOGENATES CAPABLE OF REPRODUCINGSMT

Spiking mortality of turkeys (SMT) is an infectious disease of 5-to-25 -day-old turkey poults characterized by acute enteritis and bursal and thymic atrophy. It is reproducible by exposure to organ homogenates o r contaminated litter. We studied methods potentially useful for decon tamination of turkey houses contaminated with SMT. Organ homogenates c apable of producing SMT and containing turkey intestinal coronavirus w ere exposed in vitro for 5 hr to either 5.0% NaCl, pH 2.0, pH 12, 1.0% formaldehyde, 57 C, or lyophilization. Results were assessed by oral gavage of treated inocula into 1-day-old turkeys and measurement of su bsequent coronavirus shedding, growth rate, feed conversion, and morta lity from 1 to 21 days of age. Formaldehyde treatment rendered the ino culum nonpathogenic, whereas other treatments failed to ameliorate its negative effects.