Pullorum disease, previously known as Bacillary White Diarrhoea, in poultry is caused by Salmonella Pullorum. It is an acute systemic disease of young chickens and poults.
Pullorum disease is
spread from infected parent birds via the egg to the chick. Infected
chicks spread the disease laterally in the hatchery.
Reports of clinical disease in avian
species other than chickens, turkeys and pheasants are rare.
Clinical signs of Pullorum Disease
- Usually seen in chicks younger than 3 weeks old.
- First indication is an excessive number of dead-in-shell chicks
and deaths shortly after hatching.
- Clinical signs variable and non-specific.
- White diarrhoea, with pasting of the vent is often a feature.
Treatment and control
- Antibiotic treatment not recommended as birds may become carriers.
- Control is usually by testing and the removal of infected