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Bacterial diseases

Pigeon racing is an increasingly popular sports in different regions. Racing pigeons are exposed to the environment and they have to face more health challenges. Pigeon diseases is a common problem for most racing pigeon fanciers, and it is often difficult to know what kind of disease their pigeon suffers from.
In this article we want to give you knowledge about the most common pigeon diseases might get, how you can identify it, how to cure it and how to prevent your pigeons from getting sick.

Always make sure to consult with a veterinarian if your birds shows symptoms of pigeon diseases.

Following is a list of bacterial diseases racing pigeons have to cope with;

• Mycoplasmosis
• Ornithosis
• Salmonellosis
• Necrotic enteritis
• Colibacillosis
• Yersiniosis

Some important terms

You are going to encounter some terms in this article that we would like to explain;

1. Disease

The condition of an organism deviated from the normal physiology is termed as disease.

• Etiology

The cause of a disease is termed as etiology.

• Diagnosis

To find out the etiology or the cause of a disease is termed as diagnosis.

• Hx

Hx stands for history. It is used for the history of the disease.

• C/F

C/F stands for clinical findings. The subjective signs a doctor observe at its clinic are clinical findings.

• Lab tests

These are the laboratory examinations necessary for a disease to be diagnosed on confirmatory basis.

Mycoplasmosis:

• Mycoplasmosis is an infection of bronchioles of the lungs.
• One of the most common pigeon diseases.
• It is a bacterial disease, but virus also invade along with it and make it complex.
• It is a chronic form of pigeon diseases.
• It is a disease caused by a group of pathogens like cocci bacteria and herpes viruses and the pathogens belonging to mycoplasma organisms.
• The other name of this disease is “Mycoplasma Catarrha”.

Etiology:

• Mycoplasma gallisepticum.
• There is no cell wall around their cell membrane.
• They are anaerobic bacteria.

Source of infection:

• Infected feed.
• Drinking water.
• Feces.
• Equipment.

Symptoms:

• Discharge from nares (nostrils).
• Low performance.
• Not willing to fly.
• Unusual flying movements.
• Wheezing sounds.
• Inflammation of throat.

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Lab Tests (Body examination: Inflammation of the air sac, Serological blood examination)

Treatment:

TRAVI-ALLICIN-PLUS:

• It is an oral solution.
• It has properties against viruses, protozoans, fungi and bacteria.
• It has immune boosting properties too.
• It is used and have best results against infectious agents.
• It is used in infectious diseases.

Dosage and route of administration:

• Use with drinking water or in spray form.
• Shake well before use.
• Drinking water: 1:2-5ml two times every day for 3-7 days.
• Spray: 200ml:10L two times every day for 3-7 days.

Prevention:

• Reduce or remove the components that influence the pigeons obstruction against a contamination in order to prevent these pigeon diseases.

These factors are:

1. Loft congestion
2. No clean environment
3. Latent infections (ectoparasites, worms’ infestation, infection due to coccidia)
4. Breeding stress
5. Deficiency of feed
6. Low quality water
7. Stress during racing season

Ornithosis:

• The disease of respiratory tract.
• Pigeons breathing is affected badly.
• Due to its effect on endurance and strength, birds perform poorly during the race.
• It affects over 50% population of racing pigeons.
• Pigeons loses the desire to fly.
• It affects birds of every age.
• All the young and old birds are equally affected.

Etiology:

• Chlamydia psittaci
• A bacterial disease with high zoonotic potential.
• These are spherical intracellular bacteria.

Source of infection:

• Air-borne (urine and feces particles are breathed in)
• Beak to beak transfer
• Nasal secretions
• Eye secretions
• Feces and feather dust
• Nest boxes and brooders

Symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• Inflammation
• Fever
• Nasal dropping
• Low hunger
• Breathing sounds
• Shedding and ruffled looks
• Lack of condition
• Nasal discharge
• Do not want to fly
• Scratching the head and beak
• Swollen eye lids & wet eyes
• Sneezing, shaking and hacking
• Discolored wattles
• Slime in the throat

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Lab Test (Fecal examination, cloacal and throat swab, blood analysis and immunofluorescent testing, PCR)

Treatment:

• Tetracycline group of antibiotics (Oxytetracycline, Chlortetracycline) affecting protein synthesis of bacteria.
• Administration depends on the severity of disease.
• In less severe form, it is mixed in feed.
• It is given intramuscularly or intravenously in injectable form in severe form.
• Treatments continues up to 45 days.
• Myco-Orni-Mix is given.
• It is a wide range anti-infection.
• It has synergistic impacts.
• It additionally has minerals and nutrients to fortify the pigeon´s body during application.

Prevention:

It’s hard to prevent this disease because most of the birds are carrier of this disease and it is very hard to identify and separate them from the flock. But proper management along with proper medication results in best control.

• Provide satisfactory ventilation without drafts.
• Lower residue and smelling salt (ammonia) levels.
• Control sogginess and congestion.
• It affects 70% of the pigeon’s population.
• Avoid contact with feral birds.
• Always go for treatment properly after a proper prescription from a veterinarian, otherwise sporadic drug treatment will lead towards rapid resistance to medication.
• Properly quarantine the new flock.

Salmonellosis:

• Salmonellosis is a very contagious disease of racing pigeons. One of the most commong pigeon diseases.
• A bacterial infection.

Etiology:

• Salmonella bacterium.
• These are gram negative, anaerobic and catalase positive bacteria.
• They are motile.

Source of infection:

• Inhalation (dust containing the microbe)
• Contaminated feed (creepy crawlies, mice, rodents)
• Dirty feed troughs
• Water bowls
• Mating of winged animals
• Transmission from the hen to the egg
• Feeding the little birds with tainted harvest milk

Clinical findings:

Acute form of disease:

• It influences the youthful pigeons for the most part.
• Enteritis with thick, mucoid, greenish droppings.
• Growth impediment after organs contamination (like liver, kidney and spleen)
• Weakness
• Death

Chronic form of disease:

• It influences the grown-up pigeons primarily.
• Joints inflammation
• Wing faltering
• Leg faltering
• Disorders of parity
• Torsion of the neck

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Lab tests (Fecal and organ sampling for the examination of bacterial presence). Use antibiogram to determine suitable medicine for the treatment.

Treatment:

• Treat with Chloramphenicol on appearance of symptoms.
• Change the treatment if necessary, after antibiogram.
• Calcium reduces the doxycycline drug efficacy, so avoid use of calcium supplements.
• Do not allow affected pigeons to take a flight freely.
• Do not allow bath water.
• Apply the treatment to the entire flock after disease appears.
• Perform fecal examination for bacteriological examination to check out the effect of drugs. It should be performed after 14 days and afterward rehashed twice at 3-week stretches.

Prevention:

• Keep pigeon loft clean and fresh.
• Take proper hygienic measures.
• Prevent overcrowding and contamination.
• To avoid bacterial spread, wash feeding bowls with water and 10% bleach concentrate. Ensure proper drying and rinse of dish.
• Keep environment clean, provide healthy food and good quality water.
• In cold environment, provide hot environment at a properly maintained temperature.
• Provide medicine after the proper prescription of the veterinarian.
• It is important to clean and purify the lofts, feeders and consumers routinely.
• Minimize the contact of birds with rodents, roaches and wild birds.
• Quarantine new flock properly.
• Maintain the pH to control the disease.
• Use improvers regularly against salmonella. It is very effective.
• Use Nolvasan disinfectant with drinking water consistently to keep up acidic condition in the droppings to control disease.

Necrotic enteritis:

Etiology:

• Clostridium perfringens.
• A bacterial infection.
• It has less effects on pigeons. So, lets discuss it briefly because it can still be a problematic pigeon disease.

Epidemiology:

Source of infection

• Dust
• Soil
• Bedding
• Water and drinkers
• Feed and feeders
• Feces

Symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• High motility rate
• High morbidity rate
• Depression
• Anorexia
• Ruffled looks of feathers.

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Lab Test

Treatment:

Penicillin-10000IU

Prevention:

• Avoid feeding the contaminated feed.
• Avoid overcrowding of birds.
• Separate the diseased ones.

Colibacillosis

Etiology:

• Avian pathogenic E coli (APEC).
• A bacterium.
• Affect enteric system of racing pigeons.
• E. coli is normally present in flora of gut.

Epidemiology:

Source of infection:

• Inhalation (Infected residue particles)
• Rodent droppings
• Through contaminated pigeon droppings coming into contact with eggs in the loft

Course of the disease:

Entry of bacteria——>Localize at predilection site ——> Profuse multiplication——>Enteritis ——> loss of water and electrolytes ——> Get entry to blood stream ——> Septicemia ——> colonize in organs ——>Colisepticaemia——>Death in a couple of hours or simply following a few days.

Clinical Findings:

• Listlessness
• Anorexia
• High water uptake
• Emaciation
• Acute fatal septicemia
• Air sac inflammation
• Pericarditis
• Perihepatitis
• Lymphatic depletion (Bursa and thymus)

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Lab tests (Bacteriological examination of organ samples)

Treatment:

• Furazolidone (just after the appearance of symptoms)
• Chloramphenicol or Ampicillin (After antibiogram availability and bacteriological examination)

Prevention:

• Avoid the flock from the contact with rodents and maintain a good hygienic environment.
• To control the outbreaks, lower down the level of dust and ammonia.
• Keep general antibiotics to provide the bird as first barrier against the disease in case of any outbreak. This antibiotic should belong to the broad spectrum which can kill both gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. Do not use it excessively as it will affect the normal microflora of the birds too. After this first choice, always consult a veterinarian for proper medication and guidance.

Yersiniosis:

Etiology:

• It affects small population of racing pigeons.
• A septicemic disease.
• Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is its causative agent.

C/F:

• Clinical signs due to Yersiniosis rely upon whether the sickness is intense or incessant.
• General signs: Lethargy, Diarrhea, Anorexia, Emaciation, Depression, Dehydration and Dyspnea.
• Chronic infections signs: Loss of weight, Arthritis, and paresis. It is the most common form of yersinia in racing pigeons.

Diagnosis:

• Hx
• C/F
• Microscopic lesions
• Gram staining of lesions
• Gross injuries in liver, spleen and different organs
• Y. pseudotuberculosis can disengage effectively from most injuries, for example, liver, spleen, bone, joints, lungs, digestive tract and different organs.

Rx:

• It is very difficult to treat the chronic infections.
• Instant diagnosis and its combination with the use of tetracycline results in reduction in mortality rate and its outbreak.
• Antibiogram of yersinia shows the best results of antibiotics including penicillin group, sulfa group and fluoroquinolones group.

CONTROL:

• Take steps to reduce the number of bacteria in water and the environment.
• Biosecurity measures
• Control the total confinement of bird.
• Avoid contact with feral birds and rodents to prevent the disease.

In the next article we will take a look at common viral pigeon diseases.
Make sure to check out pigeoneer.net/blog for more interesting articles.