Comparative study of clinical examinations, necropsy findings, and X-ray signs in naturally infected pigeons to avian tuberculosis

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 موسسه رازی

10.32592/ARI.2025.80.2.609

Abstract

Abstract

Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium is the most important cause of avian tuberculosis, a chronic disease in many birds. Depending on the infected organs, the clinical manifestations of the disease are usually non-specific and variable. The increasing risk of the disease spreading to the human population has increased the importance of diagnosing this disease in birds. Therefore, the present study investigated avian tuberculosis infection in several lofts of domestic pigeons in Markazi Province, Iran. 12 pigeons from different suspected pigeon lofts were collected, fed a proper ration, and kept under suitable condition. All the pigeons underwent radiographic imaging in lateral and ventrodorsal positions after recording clinical manifestations. Then, they were euthanized and subjected to necropsy examinations. In the necropsy examinations, lesions were sampled, and if no lesion was seen, samples were taken from the liver, then delivered to the tuberculosis reference laboratory and cultured in LJG, LJP, H, and HM culture media. Finally, the grown colonies were tested using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with the primers of 16S rRNA, IS1245, and IS901. The most prominent clinical manifestations in the infected pigeons included cachexia and articular swelling in wings and legs, while the most common radiographic findings were peri-articular inflammation and renomegaly. Moreover, nodules and lesions in the liver, the gastrointestinal tract, and the abdominal cavity were the most prevalent in necropsy findings. The culture, Ziehl–Neelsen staining results, and PCR test confirmed the infection of all 12 pigeons with Mycobacterium. avium subspecies avium. Also, the radiographic and necropsy findings showed the destructive effect of avian tuberculosis on the infected pigeons.

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. Algammal AM, Hashem HR, Al-Otaibi AS, Alfifi KJ, El-Dawody EM, Mahrous E, et al. Emerging MDR-Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium in house-reared domestic birds as the first report in Egypt. BMC microbiology. 2021;21:1-11.
  2. Taira N, Kawasaki H, Takahara S, Chibana K, Atsumi E, Kawabata T. The presence of coexisting lung cancer and non-tuberculous mycobacterium in a solitary mass. The American Journal of Case Reports. 2018;19:748.
  3. Dhama K, Mahendran M, Tiwari R, Dayal Singh S, Kumar D, Singh S, et al. Tuberculosis in birds: insights into the Mycobacterium avium infections. Veterinary Medicine International. 2011;2011(1):712369.
  4. Tsiouris V, Kiskinis K, Mantzios T, Dovas CI, Mavromati N, Filiousis G, et al. Avian mycobacteriosis and molecular identification of Mycobacterium avium Subsp. avium in racing pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in Greece. Animals. 2021;11(2):291.
  5. Algammal AM, Wahdan A, Elhaig MM. Potential efficiency of conventional and advanced approaches used to detect Mycobacterium bovis in cattle. Microbial pathogenesis. 2019;134:103574.
  6. Kham-Ngam I, Chetchotisakd P, Ananta P, Chaimanee P, Sadee P, Reechaipichitkul W, et al. Epidemiology of and risk factors for extrapulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infections in Northeast Thailand. PeerJ. 2018;6:e5479.
  7. Kindu A, Getaneh G. Prevalence of avian tuberculosis in domestic chickens in selected sites of Ethiopia. J Vet Sci Technol. 2016;7(377):2.
  8. Babacan O, Bülent B, Sareyyüpoğlu B. PCR detection of Mycobacterium genavense DNA in fecal samples of caged birds. Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi. 2020;67(2):201-4.
  9. Pfyffer G, Brown-Elliott B, Wallace Jr R. Mycobacterium: general characteristics, isolation, and staining procedures. Manual of clinical microbiology. 2003;1:532-59.
  10. Parvandar-Asadollahi K, Mosavari N, Mayahi M. Genotyping of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium isolates from naturally infected lofts of domestic pigeons in Ahvaz by IS901 RFLP. Iranian journal of microbiology. 2015;7(5):260.
  11. Tell LA, Foley J, Needham ML, Walker RL. Diagnosis of avian mycobacteriosis: comparison of culture, acid-fast stains, and polymerase chain reaction for the identification of Mycobacterium avium in experimentally inoculated Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Avian Diseases. 2003;47(2):444-52.
  12. Huard RC, de Oliveira Lazzarini LC, Butler WR, van Soolingen D, Ho JL. PCR-based method to differentiate the subspecies of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex on the basis of genomic deletions. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2003;41(4):1637-50.
  13. Brugère-Picoux J, Vaillancourt J-P, Shivaprasad H, Venne D, Bouzouaia M. Manuel de pathologie aviaire: AFAS; 2015.
  14. Kriz P, Slana I, Kralik P, Babak V, Skoric M, Fictum P, et al. Outbreak of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium infection in one flock of domestic pigeons. Avian Diseases. 2011;55(3):503-8.
  15. Mayahi M, Esmaeilzadeh S, Mosavari N, Parvandar Asadollahi K. Histopathological study of avian tuberculosis in naturally infected domestic pigeons with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium. Iranian Journal of Veterinary Science and Technology. 2013;5(1):45-56.
  16. Debelu T, Abunna F, Mamo Kassa G, Ameni G. Epidemiology of avian tuberculosis in selected districts of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Veterinary Medicine International. 2022;2022(1):6933701.
  17. Jordan FT, Hampson DJ. Some other bacterial diseases. Poultry Diseases. 2008;5:213-18.