D417 - Bordetella avium

Description:

Bordetella avium is a small, gram-negative, non-fermentative, motile, strictly aerobic bacillus responsible for the avian disease referred to as bordetellosis. This bacterium was first isolated from young turkeys in 1967 and officially named Bordetella avium in 1984. Although it is an economically significant disease in turkeys, Bordetella avium has also been isolated from cockatiels, Wagler’s conures, a Jenday conure, a Muluccan cockatoo and a noble’s macaw. There are further reports of Bordetella avium being isolated from numerous other species of birds including chickens, finches, budgerigars, Japanese quail and ostriches.
In cockatiels, Bordetella avium commences a path of infection by colonizing the ciliated epithelium of the bird’s tracheal mucosa. As the disease progresses, it will destroy this outer layer of tissue along the respiratory tract, and produce toxins that can affect other groups of tissue in the body. In this respect, Boredtella avium acts similar to its human counterpart – Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough) however, there is no evidence that Bordetella avium can infect humans. The bacterium is easily transmitted by aerosols, leading to a rapid spread of the disease in facilities where birds are housed closely together.
Bordetellosis in psittacine birds manifests with upper respiratory signs such as sneezing, nasal and ocular discharge, swelling of the infraorbital sinus, and lockjaw. Involvement of the lower airways is infrequent. Experimental inoculation with B. avium in cockatiel chicks suggests a 1-2 day incubation period.

Diagnosis:

Diagnosis: Due to the difficulties experienced in isolating and identifying Bordetella avium, many believe that this disease may be under-diagnosed. Because of evidence that suggests recovered birds may periodically relapse or remain asymptomatic carriers, the need for a sensitive and consistent diagnostic test is significant. Recently, a PCR-based assay for the detection of Bordetella avium became available. This test accurately detects the presence of Bordetella avium in a sample and can be used to identify asymptomatic carriers, as well as confirm active infection in birds displaying symptoms.

Sample:

1. Whole Blood (0.1–0.3 ml) in a lavender top (EDTA) tube.
2. Oropharyngeal or nasal swabs in a sterile container.

Special Handling:

Store samples at 4°C until pick up or shipment.

Test Code:

D417