RESUMO
Turkey coryza is a major respiratory disease caused by Bordetella avium (B. avium). It occurs in all ages of turkeys and is characterized by high morbidity and low mortality rates. The present study aimed firstly at determination of the prevalence rates of B. avium in turkeys reared in Egypt at different ages using various diagnostic methods including clinical examination, histopathology, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), bacterial culture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Using PCR, virulence-associated genes were detected in the confirmed B. avium isolates. Furthermore, the antibiotic resistance profiles of the confirmed B. avium isolates were examined. The achieved results indicated isolation and identification of B. avium infection at different ages of turkeys reared in Egypt. The overall PCR-confirmed prevalence rate of B. avium was 22.95%. The identified B. avium strains harbored virulence-associated genes responsible for colonization in the respiratory tract of turkeys including Bordetella virulence gene (100%), fimbriae (71.14%), and filamentous hemagglutinin (85.68%). The isolated B. avium strains showed multidrug resistance profiles. B. avium isolates were resistant to penicillin (92.82%), ceftiofur (85.68%), nalidixic acid (78.54%), and lincomycin (71.40%). The identified B. avium strains showed clear sensitivities to both gentamicin and neomycin, suggesting these as possible antimicrobial candidates for the control of B. avium infection in turkeys.