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Several outbreaks of severe purulent blepharo-conjunctivitis were observed sporadically in ostrich (Struthio camelus) and chicken flocks in Israel during the years 2008-2011. During these outbreaks of conjunctivitis in the ostriches, 30-70% present in the feed lot was affected. The acute muco-purulent conjunctivitis was followed in most of cases by severe corneal damage and blindness of the affected birds. Due to the extensive ocular pathology and blindness, most of the affected ostriches had to be culled thus causing vast economic losses to the farm. In heavy breeder replacement pullets, conjunctivitis and blepharitis have appeared sporadically in 5 different flocks of 5 to 12 weeks of age. Untreated flocks suffered from economic losses due to the ocular damage and condemnation of affected animals for breeding purposes. Extensive laboratory work ruled out the presence of respiratory viruses including Infectious Laryngotra-cheitis (ILT), Newcastle Disease (ND), Avian Influenza (AI), Infectious Bronchitis (IB) and Avian Pneu-movirus (APV). Bacteriology revealed only secondary contamination with non-specific bacteria. PCR tests for Mycoplasma gallisepticum proved to be negative in all the cases involved. PCR or Real Time PCR (RT-PCR) from direct swabs taken from the conjunctiva of affected birds proved positive for Chlamydia psittaci. Only a systemic treatment based on oxytetracycline or doxycycline and eye washing with a solution containing oxytetracycline provided recovery of the affected birds thus supporting the assumption that Chlamydia was the main causative agent of the blepharo-conjunctivitis in the ostriches and chicken affected flocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a fatal disorder of psittacine birds worldwide. The disease is characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to gastrointestinal motility and/or central nervous system dysfunction. Recently, we detected a significant association between avian bornavirus (ABV) infection and clinical signs of PDD in psittacines. However, it remains unclear whether ABV infection actually causes PDD. To address this question, we examined the impact of ABV inoculation on the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). Results Five cockatiels were inoculated via multiple routes (intramuscular, intraocular, intranasal, and oral) with a brain homogenate derived from either a PDD(+) avian bornavirus 4 (ABV4) (+) case (n = 3 inoculees) or from a PDD(-) ABV(-) control (n = 2 inoculees). The control birds remained free of clinical or pathological signs of PDD, and tested ABV(-) by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In contrast, all three cockatiels inoculated with ABV4(+) brain homogenate developed gross and microscopic PDD lesions, and two exhibited overt clinical signs. In numerous tissues, ABV RT-PCR and sequence analysis demonstrated the presence of ABV4 RNA nearly identical to that in the inoculum. ABV was detected in the central nervous system of the three ABV-inoculees by IHC. Pyrosequencing to investigate the viral flora in the ABV4(+) inoculum uncovered 7 unique reads sharing 73–100% nucleotide sequence identity with previously identified ABV sequences and 24 reads sharing 40–89% amino acid sequence identity with viruses in the Retroviridae and Astroviridae families. Of these candidate viral species, only ABV RNA was recovered from tissues of the inoculated birds. Conclusion In this study, the clinical and pathological manifestations of PDD were induced by inoculation of cockatiels with brain homogenates containing avian bornavirus 4. By using high throughput pyrosequencing an in-depth view of the viral content of the inoculum was achieved, revealing that of 3 candidate virus families detected, only the presence of ABV RNA correlated with the development of PDD. This study provides evidence of a causal association between ABV4 infection and PDD in cockatiels.

Abstract Background Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is a fatal disorder threatening domesticated and wild psittacine birds worldwide. It is characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the ganglia of the central and peripheral nervous system, leading to central nervous system disorders as well as disordered enteric motility and associated wasting. For almost 40 years, a viral etiology for PDD has been suspected, but to date no candidate etiologic agent has been reproducibly linked to the disease. Results Analysis of 2 PDD case-control series collected independently on different continents using a pan-viral microarray revealed a bornavirus hybridization signature in 62.5% of the PDD cases (5/8) and none of the controls (0/8). Ultra high throughput sequencing was utilized to recover the complete viral genome sequence from one of the virus-positive PDD cases. This revealed a bornavirus-like genome organization for this agent with a high degree of sequence divergence from all prior bornavirus isolates. We propose the name avian bornavirus (ABV) for this agent. Further specific ABV PCR analysis of an additional set of independently collected PDD cases and controls yielded a significant difference in ABV detection rate among PDD cases (71%, n = 7) compared to controls (0%, n = 14) (P = 0.01; Fisher's Exact Test). Partial sequence analysis of a total of 16 ABV isolates we have now recovered from these and an additional set of cases reveals at least 5 distinct ABV genetic subgroups. Conclusion These studies clearly demonstrate the existence of an avian reservoir of remarkably diverse bornaviruses and provide a compelling candidate in the search for an etiologic agent of PDD.

Avian Malaria is a vector borne disease caused by protozoan blood parasites of the genus Plasmodium, transmitted exclusively by mosquitoes (Culicidae) to a variety of birds. However, a few avian groups, including penguins (Sphenisciformes), are considered highly susceptible and may develop severe disease when exposed to these parasites. Clinical signs vary from asymptomatic presentation to per-acute mortality, depending on the susceptibility of the host species. Outbreaks in captive populations of penguins have often led to high morbidity and mortality rates. We describe an unusual prevalence of Avian Malaria caused by Plasmodium spp. in the adult population of Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) at an Israeli zoo between years 2012 and 2015. The laboratory diagnostic methods included screening for Plasmodium by blood or touch smears stained by Giemsa, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathology. During this period, 14 penguins were found dead while 8 of them (3 females, 5 males) were definitively diagnosed as malariapositive. Some penguins were found dead without previous detected clinical signs, however, some of them presented with non-specific clinical signs such as weakness and anorexia. Most of the mortalities occurred in the summer months between June and August. The age range of those 8 malaria-positive penguins at death was between 2-12 years, with a mean and standard deviation of the mean of 7.2 ± 3.4 years. As malaria is considered usually a disease of young penguins up to three years of age, the unusual advanced age of infection, uncommon in zoos in Israel previously, is worth noting and should require the continuing monitoring for malaria as a significant cause of penguin mortality in Israeli's zoos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report describes Salmonella enteritidis in a zoo colony of Siamang Gibbon Monkeys (Symphalangus syndactylus), in Israel, where 3 out of 4 monkeys in the group died within 48 hours with severe gastrointestinal signs. Post mortem findings included fibrinonecrotic typhlocolitis, necrohemorrhagic colitis and acute necrohemorrhagic typhlocolitis. To the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first case report identifying Salmonella enteritidis as a fatal pathological gastrointestinal agent in Siamang Gibbon Monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contaminated table eggs are considered a primary source of foodborne salmonellosis globally. Recently, a single clone of Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis emerged in Israel and became the predominant serovar isolated in poultry. This clone is currently the most prevalent strain in poultry and is the leading cause of salmonellosis in humans. Because little is known regarding the potential transmission of this strain from contaminated eggs to humans, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of Salmonella Infantis to survive on the eggshell or within the egg during cold storage or at room temperature. Salmonella cells (5.7 log CFU per egg) were inoculated on the surface of 120 intact eggs or injected into the egg yolk (3.7 log CFU per egg) of another 120 eggs. Half of the eggs were stored at 5.5 ± 0.3°C and half at room temperature (25.5 ± 0.1°C) for up to 10 weeks. At both temperatures, the number of Salmonella cells on the shell declined by 2 log up to 4 weeks and remained constant thereafter. Yolk-inoculated Salmonella counts at cold storage declined by 1 log up to 4 weeks and remained constant, while room-temperature storage supported the growth of the pathogen to a level of 8 log CFU/ml of total egg content, as early as 4 weeks postinoculation. Examination of egg content following surface inoculation revealed the presence of Salmonella in a portion of the eggs at both temperatures up to 10 weeks, suggesting that this strain can also penetrate through the shell and survive within the egg. These findings imply that Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis is capable of survival both on the exterior and interior of table eggs and even multiply inside the egg at room temperature. Our findings support the need for prompt refrigeration to prevent Salmonella multiplication during storage of eggs at room temperature.

A feral Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) was found with tremors, weakness, digit and wing flexion, and an inability to fly. A zero blood cholinesterase activity and a favorable response to treatment with pralidoxime hydrochloride indicated exposure to an anticholinergic pesticide. The bird died after 7 d, and traces of the organophosphate insecticide ethyl parathion were found in the liver and from a blue discolored skin area of the neck. Continuous exposure to ethyl parathion through dermal absorption was presumed the cause of death of the vulture.

The efficacy of the antimicrobial drug norfloxacin for treating infectious coryza was examined in 26-week-old male broiler breeders. Chickens were inoculated in the infraorbital sinus with the causal organism, Haemophilus paragallinarum. Four experimental groups were set up: control uninfected chickens, infected untreated chickens, and infected chickens treated for 5 days with either 20 mg norfloxacin/kg body weight or 40 mg norfloxacin/kg body weight. The first clinical signs were seen 24 hr postinfection. Of the observed clinical signs, sinus edema was ameliorated by the treatment, and the percentage of birds presenting sinus edema, sneezing, and increased lacrimation was significantly reduced after treatment. Clinical signs disappeared rapidly and were gone by the second day of treatment. The other signs disappeared gradually over 2 weeks after treatment began. There were no significant differences between the two dosage levels. H. paragallinarum was not reisolated from the infected infraorbital sinuses of birds treated with the higher dose of the drug, whereas the reisolation rate was 17% from those treated with the lower dose and 86% from the infected untreated birds.