salmonellosis in birds

 

Salmonella in Birds 

Salmonella is probably the bacterial species which most people would be able to name salmoneellla spp
it affect birds as well as human also ,

Signs to watch for

 lost in tracking down
 treating the infection.
 lethargic,
with a loss of appetite
 and very likely diarrhoea.
If the case is chronic,
arthritis
pigeons are particularly susceptible to both salmonella and the arthritis,
with profuse yellowish green diarrhoea. Other signs which may follow the initial diarrhoea and lethargy may include abnormal thirst and organ damage.

Treatment of Salmonella in Birds

 broad spectrum antibiotics, to be replaced later with one which is more specific. Since the bird will probably be suffering from diarrhoea, which may bring with it the extra worry of dehydration, it is important to treat this also and for this a proprietary medicine can be used, based on kaolin, which firms up the stool without introducing any other medicines which may interfere with the action of the antibiotic. Support of the bird will be necessary, with extra warmth if needed and clean water and tempting food. Not all birds survive a salmonella infection - if a hatchling has been infected in the egg death is a very likely outcome – but with proper nursing it is certainly perfectly possible.

Prevention of salmonella spreading

Salmonella is a bacteria which is present in everyday life and it will only cause infections if its numbers become overwhelming in unclean conditions or if the bird (or indeed human) is young, old or immune suppressed. Although it cannot be eradicated in the environment, it is certainly possible to make sure that its numbers are kept as low as possible by scrupulous cleanliness and also a good dose of commonsense when it comes to handling birds. If a bird is new to your home or to a captive flock, it is essential that it comes from a reputable source. If for some reason you obtain a bird from somewhere you are not sure about, it is a good idea to isolate it until it is clear that it has no underlying infections; this is sound practice anyway, to prevent the spread of other diseases. As the salmonella bacteria are spread in the air, it is important that the new or suspect bird should be housed separately, so that no aerosols created during preening or flight or from faeces or nasal discharge could carry to other birds.

Cleanliness

For the same reason, it is important that you should wash your hands thoroughly both before and after handling a bird – don’t forget that you can give salmonella to your bird and they can just as easily return the compliment! It is certainly important that people are not allowed to handle new birds or any bird in your collection without taking this simple precaution. But not only people and birds spread salmonella – rodents and flies have also been proved to be carriers, so it is very important to make sure that no stale food or droppings are allowed to build up in aviaries and cages to attract them.