Pasteurella gallinarum: Zimbabwean experience of a versatile pathogen

Pasteurella gallinarum-related outbreaks in chickens and African guinea fow ls are described. Four outbreaks were recorded in chickens and one in guine a fowls. Periorbital swelling and keratoconjunctivitis were the consistentl y present clinical signs in all the diseased birds. In several, swollen hoc ks and wattles were also discerened. Birds which succumbed to the infection showed petechiation in the internal organs and evidence of airsacculitis. Pasteurella gallinarum was isolated from the lesions and also from conjunct ival swabs of the apparently healthy in-contact birds. There was no evidenc e of concurrent infection with Haemophilus, Mycoplasma or Chlamydia. Quinol one therapy when resorted to on one of the farms resolved the clinical sign s. Phenotypes of 28 isolates were studied. The results compared well with t he Pasteurella gallinarum isolates reported earlier from elsewhere. It was also found that results of xylose fermentation and ONPG test appear to be a variable character. There is no earlier report of Fl gallinarum infection in guinea fowls.