Application of disinfectants in poultry hatcheries.

Veterinary control and routine sanitary procedures in commercial poultry hatcheries should include the following: choice of a suitable geographical location to ensure an isolated site; proper hatchery design with separation of major operations; one-way flow of work within the hatchery; adequate ventilation of each room; routine cleaning and disinfection; formaldehyde fumigation or alternative method for disinfection of eggs, equipment and incubators; a routine programme for monitoring microbial contamination levels within the hatchery.

Disinfecting poultry production premises.

Hygiene and sanitation play a major role in any effective disease control programme for poultry production premises. One of the important requirements to facilitate hygiene and sanitation is adoption of the 'all-in/all-out' method (i.e.

Polymyxin B: pharmacokinetics of single doses given intravenously and intramuscularly to turkeys, and minimal inhibitory concentrations for Escherichia coli and Pasteurella multocida.

The 50% and 90% minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC50 and MIC90) of polymyxin B for avian Escherichia coli and Pasteurella multocida isolates were determined by the agar plate dilution method. Polymyxin B at approximate MIC level in serum was bactericidal for E. coli in 2 to 4 hours.

Adherence-associated characteristics and pathogenicity of Escherichia coli from avian colibacillosis.

Escherichia coli isolates from avian colibacillosis were examined for adherence-associated characteristics and post-colonisation pathogenicity. The adherence-associated characteristics studied included expression of pili, ability to partition with a hydrophobic phase, and ability to bind to Biosilon plastic polar-surfaced microcarriers. None of the adherence-associated characteristics correlated absolutely with post-colonisation pathogenicity, and thus in vitro tests for these adherence-associated characteristics cannot be used to predict whether any given E.

Vaccination of young turkeys against fowl cholera.

Turkey poults vaccinated at one day of age with commercial inactivated Pasteurella multocida (PM) bacterin responded with low titres of antibody (ab) as measured by ELISA, but had an acceptable degree of resistance when challenged with the X-73 strain of PM until 13 weeks of age. Turkeys vaccinated at 3 and/or 6 weeks of age responded with higher ab titres and were resistant to virulent challenge with PM. Turkey poults vaccinated at 3 and/or 6 weeks of age with a commercial live PM vaccine had a poor immune response and low resistance to virulent challenge.