Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale infection in red wattled lapwings (Vanellus indicus) in Pakistan - A case report

Respiratory infections are of major concern in the poultry industry in Pakistan. Previously, wild birds have been reported to transmit respiratory infections. The Red Wattled Lapwing (RWL) is a wild bird prevalent in the Indus basin and the wetlands of Punjab, Pakistan. Out of total of eighteen RWL birds housed at Lahore Zoo, Pakistan, three birds died after showing signs of respiratory distress and paralysis, in August, 2014. Postmortem examination revealed air sacculitis and pneumonia. Microbiological examination revealed Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) as the causative agent, which was later confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The isolate was found to be susceptible to amoxicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline and enrofloxacin, and resistant to gentamycin, neomycin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. All the remaining birds were treated with long acting tetracycline, and diseased birds eventually recovered. No further mortality was declared. This is the first report of its kind which demonstrates ORT infection in RWL in Punjab, Pakistan.

Duke Scholars

Author Sajid Umar DKU Faculty