Comamonas testosteroni as the cause of mortality in embryonated chicken eggs of breeding broiler hens in Costa Rica.

Mortality of chicken embryos and first-week chickens was reported in a commercial incubator company in Costa Rica. Six 1-day-old Cobb chickens and twenty-four embryonated chicken eggs were examined in the Laboratory of Avian Pathology and the Laboratory of Bacteriology of the National University of Costa Rica. Twelve dead-in-shell embryos showed maceration and were immersed in a putrid, turbid, slightly thick brown liquid. Additionally, the other 12 embryonated eggs had milky yellow-orange content. The livers of those embryos had congestion, haemorrhages and multifocal cream foci of necrosis. Granulocytic infiltration was observed in the bursa of Fabricius, myocardium, liver, lung and kidney. Livers and egg yolks from six embryonated chickens and all 1-day-old chickens were aseptically collected and cultured. In addition, tissues from six better conserved embryos and all 1-day-old chickens were fixed in buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin. Biochemical and molecular tests identified Comamonas testosteroni as the cause of the early, middle and late embryo mortality. As all the eggshells from the sampled embryonated eggs were dirty with soiled a fecal matter, contamination after manipulating the eggs was considered the source of infection. C. testosteroni is an environmental microorganism that has rarely been reported to cause human disease. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. testosteroni causing mortality in a hatchery. Cleaning and disinfection using ozone were implemented in the hatchery to eliminate the embryo mortality associated with C. testosteroni.

First Report of Campylobacter hepaticus Isolation in Laying Hens and Broiler Breeders with Spotty Liver Disease in Costa Rica.

Poultry producers in Costa Rica have informally reported a spotty liver disease-like syndrome for more than 20 yr. However, despite many attempts, the infectious agent responsible for this syndrome had not been identified. Therefore, following current knowledge of spotty liver disease diagnosis, we invited veterinarians and poultry producers to submit samples to the diagnostic laboratories of the Veterinary Medicine School, Universidad Nacional, to identify the infectious agent of this syndrome. Veterinarians and poultry producers were instructed to collect gallbladders and livers aseptically and send them for pathology examinations and bacterial cultures in less than 24 hr after collection. Samples were processed for standard histopathologic studies and cultured under aerophilic, anaerobic, and microaerophilic conditions. Campylobacter-like colonies were isolated and identified by biochemical and PCR tests. Here we report for the first time the isolation, biochemical characterization, and molecular confirmation of Campylobacter hepaticus in laying hens and broiler breeders with spotty liver disease in Costa Rica.

Nota de investigación- Primer reporte de aislamiento de Campylobacter hepaticus en gallinas de postura y reproductoras pesadas con necrosis hepática focal en Costa Rica. Los productores avícolas en Costa Rica han reportado extraoficialmente un síndrome similar a la necrosis hepática focal durante más de 20 años. Sin embargo, a pesar de muchos intentos, el agente infeccioso responsable de este síndrome no había sido identificado. Por ello, siguiendo los conocimientos actuales relacionados con la necrosis hepática focal, se invitó a los veterinarios y a los productores avícolas a enviar muestras a los laboratorios de diagnóstico de la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria de la Universidad Nacional, para identificar el agente infeccioso de este síndrome. Se instruyó a los veterinarios y productores avícolas para recolectar vesículas biliares e hígados asépticamente y enviarlos para exámenes patológicos y para cultivos bacterianos en menos de 24 horas después de la recolección. Las muestras se procesaron para estudios histopatológicos estándar y se cultivaron en condiciones aerófilas, anaeróbicas y microaerófilas. Las colonias sugestivas de Campylobacter se aislaron e identificaron mediante pruebas bioquímicas y por PCR. Aquí se reporta por primera vez el aislamiento, caracterización bioquímica y confirmación molecular de Campylobacter hepaticus en gallinas de postura y reproductoras pesadas con la necrosis hepática focal en Costa Rica.