Case Analysis of Diagnosis and Treatment of Gosling Plague in Young Geese
Diagnosis and Treatment of an Outbreak of Gosling Plague in Young Geese
Gosling plague is caused by the gosling plague virus, and this disease is an acute infectious disease of young geese. With the continuous increase in the number and density of farming, young geese from 3~4d after hatching to around 20d are susceptible to this disease. If prevention and control work cannot keep up, it will cause serious economic losses to farmers.
1 Disease occurrence
A farmer in my township purchased 3000 young geese on March 15, 2012. On the 6th day, the young geese began dying from unknown causes, at 8~10 birds/d. Afterwards, the young geese were found to be listless, with heads drawn in, dozing, reduced appetite, and diarrhea, excreting grayish-white or yellow-green loose droppings containing gas bubbles, and the number of deaths continued to increase. Enrofloxacin and ribavirin were used first but were ineffective. Then a large dose of gosling plague serum was injected, and the condition was brought under control. By
20 days of age, a total of 630 birds had died.
2 Clinical symptoms
Affected geese within 1 week of age often show the peracute form, usually with no early symptoms; once the disease occurs, they become extremely weak or fall to the ground and soon die. Cases occurring within the 2nd week are mostly the acute form: the young geese are listless, with heads drawn in, lag behind the flock when walking, doze, have reduced appetite and then complete loss of appetite, and like water; breathing is difficult, with viscous secretions flowing from the nostrils, and the color of the tip of the beak and the webs becomes dark; the crop contains a large amount of gas and liquid, with severe diarrhea, excreting grayish-white or yellow-green loose droppings containing gas bubbles, and a few pass strip-shaped sausage-like hard feces with a fibrinous pseudomembrane on the surface. Before death, affected geese often show neurological symptoms, including twisting of the head and neck, paralysis of both feet, and generalized convulsions. Death occurs in 1~2d. Cases over 2 weeks of age mostly show the subacute form, with listlessness, diarrhea, and emaciation as the main symptoms, and the mortality rate is generally below 50%. Most surviving geese show inhibited growth and feather loss for a period of time, and a few affected geese can recover naturally.
3 Necropsy changes
Affected geese show systemic septicemic changes; the liver is congested and enlarged, brittle and easily broken; the kidneys are slightly enlarged and dark red, with urate deposits in the renal tubules; the pancreas is swollen and pale red, with occasional small grayish-white nodules; acute heart failure changes occur in the heart, and the myocardium is dull and lusterless, showing characteristic pallor; loose feces adhere around the anus of the carcass, the cloaca is dilated, thin fluid flows from the mouth and nose, and the mucosa is brown; the conjunctiva is dry, with systemic dehydration, and the skin
subcutaneous tissue is markedly congested; the meningeal blood vessels are congested and hemorrhagic; the crop is empty, and there is a large amount of watery fluid in the stomach. The characteristic lesion is acute catarrhal and fibrinous necrotizing enteritis in the small intestine (the jejunum and ileum portions). The typical change is that a whole segment of intestinal mucosa in the middle and lower part of the small intestine becomes necrotic and sloughs off, forming emboli with coagulated fibrinous exudate; the surface of the intestinal contents is wrapped in a membrane, blocking the intestinal lumen. The ileocecal intestinal segment is enlarged and firm in texture, about 2~5cm, shaped like a sausage, and pale gray or pale yellow emboli completely fill the intestinal tract. The intestinal wall becomes thin and does not form ulcers, and scattered fibrinous clots adhere to the surface of part of the intestinal mucosa without forming bands or emboli.
4 Diagnosis
Based on the epidemiological feature that this disease only causes illness in young geese, combined with the appearance of severe diarrhea and neurological symptoms and the lesions of characteristic acute catarrhal and fibrinous necrotizing enteritis in the small intestine (this characteristic embolism has been considered a characteristic lesion of gosling plague), a preliminary diagnosis can be made. Confirmation of this disease requires virus isolation and identification or serum-specific antibody testing.
5 Prevention and treatment
Severely ill geese and mildly ill geese were raised in isolation, the water troughs, feed troughs, and the environment inside the shed were comprehensively disinfected, feeding management was strengthened, and dead geese were deeply buried. The whole flock was immediately injected with hyperimmune serum against gosling plague, 2mL per bird subcutaneously, and the injection was repeated once after 3d. At the same time, electrolyte multivitamins and a large amount of vitamin C were used to enhance the body's resistance, prevent stress reactions, and anti-inflammatory drugs were used as adjunct treatment. After treatment, the condition of the young geese was fully controlled by 20 days of age, and no further deaths occurred. The climate in our province is cold, and spring is when young geese begin to be raised, so prevention work for gosling plague must be done well. Adult geese can carry and shed the virus without becoming ill and can become a source of infection, so there must be a certain distance between the raising of young geese and adult geese, avoiding direct contact with diseased geese or consumption of contaminated feed and drinking water. After gosling plague occurs, isolation should be strengthened and feeding should be done by groups. For young geese in the early stage of the disease,
goslings can be given anti-gosling plague serum or hyperimmune yolk antibody, 1.0~1.5mL per bird subcutaneously; those that have already shown symptoms should be injected with 2~3mL, and goslings over 10 days of age should also receive an increased dose. In addition, electrolyte multivitamins, minerals, antibiotics, and so on should be added to the feed or drinking water. Geese that recover after illness have strong immunity. Anti-gosling plague serum prepared from adult geese can be used to treat and prevent this disease, and the effect is very significant. Newly hatched young geese injected with anti-gosling plague serum can resist viral infection. In addition, gosling plague vaccine can also be used. All utensils and equipment used for hatching in the hatchery must be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Purchased breeding eggs are best fumigated with grade-three concentration formaldehyde gas for 20min. If young geese are found to become ill at 3~5d, it indicates that the hatchery has been contaminated, and hatching should immediately be stopped for 2~3 batches; at the same time, all hatching and brooding utensils and buildings should be thoroughly disinfected, preferably fumigated with grade-three concentration formaldehyde gas for 30min, and only then can hatching continue. Newly hatched young geese must not come into contact with newly collected goose eggs or adult geese, so as to prevent infection.
1 Disease occurrence
A farmer in my township purchased 3000 young geese on March 15, 2012. On the 6th day, the young geese began dying from unknown causes, at 8~10 birds/d. Afterwards, the young geese were found to be listless, with heads drawn in, dozing, reduced appetite, and diarrhea, excreting grayish-white or yellow-green loose droppings containing gas bubbles, and the number of deaths continued to increase. Enrofloxacin and ribavirin were used first but were ineffective. Then a large dose of gosling plague serum was injected, and the condition was brought under control. By
20 days of age, a total of 630 birds had died.
2 Clinical symptoms
Affected geese within 1 week of age often show the peracute form, usually with no early symptoms; once the disease occurs, they become extremely weak or fall to the ground and soon die. Cases occurring within the 2nd week are mostly the acute form: the young geese are listless, with heads drawn in, lag behind the flock when walking, doze, have reduced appetite and then complete loss of appetite, and like water; breathing is difficult, with viscous secretions flowing from the nostrils, and the color of the tip of the beak and the webs becomes dark; the crop contains a large amount of gas and liquid, with severe diarrhea, excreting grayish-white or yellow-green loose droppings containing gas bubbles, and a few pass strip-shaped sausage-like hard feces with a fibrinous pseudomembrane on the surface. Before death, affected geese often show neurological symptoms, including twisting of the head and neck, paralysis of both feet, and generalized convulsions. Death occurs in 1~2d. Cases over 2 weeks of age mostly show the subacute form, with listlessness, diarrhea, and emaciation as the main symptoms, and the mortality rate is generally below 50%. Most surviving geese show inhibited growth and feather loss for a period of time, and a few affected geese can recover naturally.
3 Necropsy changes
Affected geese show systemic septicemic changes; the liver is congested and enlarged, brittle and easily broken; the kidneys are slightly enlarged and dark red, with urate deposits in the renal tubules; the pancreas is swollen and pale red, with occasional small grayish-white nodules; acute heart failure changes occur in the heart, and the myocardium is dull and lusterless, showing characteristic pallor; loose feces adhere around the anus of the carcass, the cloaca is dilated, thin fluid flows from the mouth and nose, and the mucosa is brown; the conjunctiva is dry, with systemic dehydration, and the skin
subcutaneous tissue is markedly congested; the meningeal blood vessels are congested and hemorrhagic; the crop is empty, and there is a large amount of watery fluid in the stomach. The characteristic lesion is acute catarrhal and fibrinous necrotizing enteritis in the small intestine (the jejunum and ileum portions). The typical change is that a whole segment of intestinal mucosa in the middle and lower part of the small intestine becomes necrotic and sloughs off, forming emboli with coagulated fibrinous exudate; the surface of the intestinal contents is wrapped in a membrane, blocking the intestinal lumen. The ileocecal intestinal segment is enlarged and firm in texture, about 2~5cm, shaped like a sausage, and pale gray or pale yellow emboli completely fill the intestinal tract. The intestinal wall becomes thin and does not form ulcers, and scattered fibrinous clots adhere to the surface of part of the intestinal mucosa without forming bands or emboli.
4 Diagnosis
Based on the epidemiological feature that this disease only causes illness in young geese, combined with the appearance of severe diarrhea and neurological symptoms and the lesions of characteristic acute catarrhal and fibrinous necrotizing enteritis in the small intestine (this characteristic embolism has been considered a characteristic lesion of gosling plague), a preliminary diagnosis can be made. Confirmation of this disease requires virus isolation and identification or serum-specific antibody testing.
5 Prevention and treatment
Severely ill geese and mildly ill geese were raised in isolation, the water troughs, feed troughs, and the environment inside the shed were comprehensively disinfected, feeding management was strengthened, and dead geese were deeply buried. The whole flock was immediately injected with hyperimmune serum against gosling plague, 2mL per bird subcutaneously, and the injection was repeated once after 3d. At the same time, electrolyte multivitamins and a large amount of vitamin C were used to enhance the body's resistance, prevent stress reactions, and anti-inflammatory drugs were used as adjunct treatment. After treatment, the condition of the young geese was fully controlled by 20 days of age, and no further deaths occurred. The climate in our province is cold, and spring is when young geese begin to be raised, so prevention work for gosling plague must be done well. Adult geese can carry and shed the virus without becoming ill and can become a source of infection, so there must be a certain distance between the raising of young geese and adult geese, avoiding direct contact with diseased geese or consumption of contaminated feed and drinking water. After gosling plague occurs, isolation should be strengthened and feeding should be done by groups. For young geese in the early stage of the disease,
goslings can be given anti-gosling plague serum or hyperimmune yolk antibody, 1.0~1.5mL per bird subcutaneously; those that have already shown symptoms should be injected with 2~3mL, and goslings over 10 days of age should also receive an increased dose. In addition, electrolyte multivitamins, minerals, antibiotics, and so on should be added to the feed or drinking water. Geese that recover after illness have strong immunity. Anti-gosling plague serum prepared from adult geese can be used to treat and prevent this disease, and the effect is very significant. Newly hatched young geese injected with anti-gosling plague serum can resist viral infection. In addition, gosling plague vaccine can also be used. All utensils and equipment used for hatching in the hatchery must be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Purchased breeding eggs are best fumigated with grade-three concentration formaldehyde gas for 20min. If young geese are found to become ill at 3~5d, it indicates that the hatchery has been contaminated, and hatching should immediately be stopped for 2~3 batches; at the same time, all hatching and brooding utensils and buildings should be thoroughly disinfected, preferably fumigated with grade-three concentration formaldehyde gas for 30min, and only then can hatching continue. Newly hatched young geese must not come into contact with newly collected goose eggs or adult geese, so as to prevent infection.
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