Blood in the trachea and this history suggest infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT). A highly contagious herpesvirus infection, ILT is characterized by RESPIRATORY signs (rales, severe dyspnea, coughing).
In severe forms, mortality can reach 50%, typically due to occlusion of the trachea by blood, mucus or caseous exudates. In most states ILT is REPORTABLE.
Infectious coryza is a milder respiratory disease, with swelling around the eyes and head, sneezing, nasal discharge.
Newcastle disease is characterized primarily by respiratory signs. Severe forms include depression, neurologic signs or diarrhea. Look for GI hemorrhage with most severe form, viscerotropic velogenic Newcastle disease (VVND), which is REPORTABLE.
With fowlpox, only a few birds typically affected with scablike lesions around head. Click here to see fowlpox.
See only depression before death with Marek’s disease. Some birds may have characteristic unilateral paresis (one leg forward, one leg back). On necropsy, see lymphoid tumors in organs and enlarged nerves.
For more great images, check out the Atlas of Avian Diseases courtesy of Cornell University and Diseases of Poultry, by Ivan Dinev, DVM, PhD, courtesy of The Poultry Site.
Image courtesy of Lucien Mahin.
