Influence of temperature on the growth of Bordetella avium in turkeys and in vitro.

Effects of temperature on growth of three strains of Bordetella avium were determined in young turkeys and in vitro. Colonization of the tracheal mucosa by two virulent strains of B. avium was significantly greater in cold-stressed turkeys than in heat-stressed turkeys. The avirulent vaccine strain, ART-VAX, colonized tracheas of cold-stressed turkeys to a limited extent but failed to colonize heat-stressed turkeys. Growth rates of the three B. avium strains were determined in brain-heart infusion broth at 30, 35, 40, and 45 C. All three strains grew best at 35 C but were killed by 45 C. Compared with virulent strains, ART-VAX grew markedly less at all temperatures, and most cultures of ART-VAX grew at 40 C only after a variable period of declining numbers of viable bacteria. This study indicates that temperature affects growth of B. avium in vivo and in vitro and that growth of the ART-VAX strain is fundamentally different from growth of virulent strains.