Vulture mortality: Pathological and microbiological investigations

Abstract

Vulture population has dramatically declined from almost all parts ofIndian subcontinent. The reason for the crash of vulture population remains an enigma. Sinee vulture is a natural scavenger and feeds on animal carcasses, absence of vulture from ecosystem would have serious consequences to the human and animal health. The sudden decline in the population indicated possibility of emergence of a highly virulent new aetiologic agent or a mutant of already known pathogen. The present communication reports preliminary observations based on postmortem, histopathology and microbiological studies. The'pathological investigation clearly indicated visceral gout in the dead birds, whereas presence of intra-nuclear inclusions and perivascular lymphoid aggregates strongly suggested the infectious aetiology. Microbiological investigation showed the presence of haemolytic E.coli (serotypes 08, 089, 0,150).