FOWL POX, AVIAN - NEW ZEALAND: PENGUIN
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Date: Wed 24 Nov 2010
Source: Otago Daily Times [edited]
<http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/137686/avian-diphtheria-hits-yellow-eyed-penguins>
Avian diphtheria hits yellow-eyed penguins
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An outbreak of avian diphtheria has hit southern Otago Peninsula yellow-eyed penguins. The outbreak comes at a critical stage for chicks that have recently hatched and is requiring some hands-on care by the Department of Conservation [DOC].
DOC ranger Mel Young said avian diphtheria seemed to hit the penguins every 2nd year and samples from as many chicks as possible were being sent to Massey University's wildlife unit for testing. It appeared the chicks caught a virus and then contracted the diphtheria as a secondary disease.
In the meantime, affected chicks were being given antibiotics and fluids in an effort to encourage them to eat, as those who died usually suffered from renal failure or from not eating. "So far so good. We have had some die but some are responding and are eating and putting on some weight." The next week or 2 would be critical for the penguins, she said.
Monitoring had found 422 nests from North Otago to the Catlins, with many chicks now about 1 or 2 weeks old, ranger Young said. Nest numbers were up in the Catlins and about the same as the past 2 seasons in other sites.
Aside from the diphtheria outbreak, there had been a few "early losses" of chicks and those bodies had been sent to Massey for necropsy.
A lot of older birds up to 20 years old were still "getting it on" and birds as young as 2 had joined the breeding population, Ms Young said.
At Sandfly Bay, where there had been concerns about the public impact on the penguins, nest numbers were up to 10, although 2 had failed.
"Several new birds have entered the breeding population. The measures we have taken are improving the situation." A lot of juveniles had been seen on the region's beaches, including one spot that had attracted 12 to 18.
"That is amazing. Hopefully, they'll hang on and get through moult." A pair of yellow-eyed penguins, an adult and a juvenile, had been visiting Karitane beach regularly since the end of October [2010]. Historical reports had noted penguins on the beach, although a bird was killed there by a dog 2 years ago, she said. "They seem to be settling in, which is very exciting." The community was keeping a close eye on the birds and it was hoped they would settle and start breeding there, she said.
DOC would be closing Boulder Beach from 1 Dec 2010 to 28 Feb 2011 to allow the chicks born there to grow uninterrupted by the public.
[byline: Rebecca Fox]
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communicated by:
Thomas James Allen
<tjallen@pipeline.com>
[Fowl pox (avian diphtheria, pox, canker) occurs worldwide in all poultry species and all ages. It is caused by avian pox viruses. Pox viruses are single, linear, double stranded DNA viruses, which cause chronic disease in poultry of all species and age.
Mosquito bites and mechanical transmission of virus to lacerated skin or eye are common routes of viral spread. Wild birds are a reservoir for the viruses.
Incubation period is from 4-10 days. They are 2 forms of the disease, the cutaneous (dry) or diphtheritic (wet). Both may be present in the same flock or animals.
The dry form shows as a pimple or scab on skin (mainly comb, wattles, eyelids, and other unfeathered portions of the body).
The law (mouth) shows diphtheritic form mucous, yellow lesions, or canker in mouth, esophagus or trachea. Eye involvement (blindness), off feed, lower egg production, facial swelling, and an increase in cull can be seen.
Postmortem lesions: canker or false membranes in mouth are seen as slightly elevated white opaque nodules. Nodules increase in size and coalesce to yellow, cheesy, and necrotic membranes. Gray or black papular eruption on unfeathered portions of skin (dry) are due to epithelial hyperplasia.
Head, face, and feet are most commonly affected, but may spread to portions of the feathered body.
Diagnosis: eliminate bacterial dermatitis. Virus isolation on CAM (corioallantoic membrane) will produce plaque, which will reveal intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Gross lesions will reveal inclusion bodies. Presence of scales on skin and canker in the mouth in the fall of the year is an important characteristic of the disease.
Prevention: the normal procedure is to vaccinate once in the wing web between 8-18 weeks of age. In areas with extreme infection pressure, broilers may be vaccinated at day old. Vaccinate replacement pullets 10-12 weeks (wing web) and again at 16-18 weeks to provide long term immunity.
Examine site of injection 1 week later for vaccine take (scab).
Control mosquitoes with insecticides and by getting rid of all standing water (pounds, etc), where mosquitoes may breed.
Treatment: broad spectrum antibiotics are helpful to control secondary bacteria. How practical it is to use broad spectrum antibiotics on penguin chicks may be questionable. However, if this colony were in more serious danger, likely some methods of control would attempted.
Portions of this comment were extracted from <http://www.worldpoultry.net/diseases/avian-diphtheria-d14.html>.
Various photos of yellow-eyed penguins may be seen at <http://seapics.com/feature-subject/birds/yellow-eyed-penguin-pictures-001.html>
- Mod.TG
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of New Zealand can be seen at <http://healthmap.org/r/0g_o>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
[see also:
Undiagnosed die-off, penguins - Brazil: RFI 20100721.2447
2009
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Malaria, penguins - Ecuador (Galapagos) 20090725.2628 Undiagnosed die-off, penguins - Chile (03) 20090405.1311 Undiagnosed die-off, penguins - Chile (02): clarification 20090403.1293 Undiagnosed die-off, penguins - Chile 20090331.1225
2007
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Undiagnosed deaths, penguins - New Zealand 20071202.3889 Penguin die-off, zoo - Australia (QLD) 20070315.0913
2006
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Avian pox virus, penguins - Falkland Islands 20060224.0611]
.................tg/mj/sh/ll
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