Spirochetosis

Prepared by: Dr. Bikash Puri

 Introduction
• It is one of the bacterial disease of poultry caused by
Borrelia anserina.
• Also called Tick fever or tick paralysis.

• Most found in the area where the poultry ticks are found

Host Range:
– Mainly affect poultry and turkeys
– Also occur in geese, ducks, pheasants, sparrows and crows.
 Transmission:

• Transmitted by Argus persicus

 Symptoms
• Greenish diarrhoea
• High fever
• Depression
• Anorexia
• Cyanosis of comb
• Jaundice
• Incoordination/paralysis of leg and wings.
 PM findings
• Enlargement of spleen with mottling,
• hepatomegaly with necrosis of liver,
• linear haemorrhage in proventriculus,
• presence of tick in the skin.
 Microscopic findings
• Necrosis of hepatocytes,
• necrosis and depletion of lymphoid tissue in
spleen and
• haemosiderosis, catarrhal enteritis,
perivascular gliosis in brain,
• haemorrhagic dermatitis,
• organism can be seen in liver section by sliver
stain.
 Diagnosis
• Symptoms and lesions
• Spirocheates in blood smear
• Presence of tick infestation