Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT)

Ornithobacterium Infection is an infection of chickens and turkeys with the bacterium Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT). The severity of its effects depends on the pathogenicity of the particular strain and other risk factors such as viral infections, ventilation problems, age at infection, right time of treatment and medicines, etc.

1. Causes
Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale is a Gram-negative pleomorphic organism. It was named Pasteurella,
Kingella or Pleomorphic Gram Negative Rod (PGNR) before 1994. Now it is called ORT. O. rhinotracheale
can cause acute disease in poultry. O. rhinotracheale has been isolated from many species such as chickens,
ducks, geese, gulls, ostriches, pheasants, pigeons, quails and turkeys...
2. Symptoms, lesions
Aasmus, sinustitis, lacrimatory, swollen head, pale crest, coughing, sneezing, reduced weight gain,
reduced egg production. The mortality rate is high. The disease spreads rapidly from one area to another
in a short time. The antibiotics is well-treated are: Erythromycine, Tilcomycin, Doxycilline, Neomycine,
Florfenicol, Enroflocine, Lincomycine, Amoxicilline…

In the wet weather and gap time between two seasons, ORT is easily associated with aspergillosis
causing serve disease, so combine with medicine to treat aspergillosis and aasmus such as: NEOTATIN,
NYSTA - PRED…
Disease manifestations of pneumonia, O. rhinotracheale can cause sudden death in young poultry through
infection of the brain and skull, causing the skull bone weaken. In the 12 -week-old chickens,
O.rhinotracheale can cause acute pneumonia with mortality rates up to 50 %.
Other type of O. rhinotracheale infection in chickens also cause paralysis through arthritis, osteoarthritis
and osteomyelitis, purulent joints of lame birds. O. rhinotracheale infections in chickens cause high mortality
rate, reduced egg production and lower egg quality. Important cofactors may include respiratory viral
vaccines (Newcastle disease, Infectious Bronchitis), field challenge with respiratory viruses, Bordetella
avium infection, and E. coli infections, stress, inadequate ventilation, bad epidemiology, high ammonia
levels which can also make the impact becomes more severe disease.

3. Post-mortem lesions

- Airsacculitis
- Tracheitis
- Severe bronchopneumonia

- Inflammation and oedema of the tunica mucosa eye

- Swollen, bleeding liver
- In case ORT associated with E. coli and other diseases, it will manifest nephritis, swelling and
bleeding heart.

4. Prevention
- This is based on good hygiene, therapy and vaccination. So must clean coops, eating troughs,
drinking troughs, spray disinfectant, medicate by antibiotics, vitamins, electrolytes, digestive
enzyme: Mix periodically MARPHAMOX PREMIX, DOXY 2% PREMIX, MARFLOMIX
with feed for effective efficiency of prevention.

5. Treatment: Follow 2 steps

* Step 1: Vaccinate with 2 times higher dose
Disease is easily associated with Newcastle (ND) and Infectious Bronchitis (IB), so must use
vaccine ND-IB with 2 times higher dose.

* Step 2: Combine antibiotic to treat ORT to tonic. Choose one of six treatment regimens for
the best efficiency:

Method 1: Dissolve NYSTA – PRED into drinking water: 1g/1 litre of drinking water, mix with
MARPHASOL 1g/1 litre of drinking water. Inject MARFLO – LA: 1ml/10kg b.w.

Method 2: Orally administrate TINSINMAR 1ml/4 litres of drinking water, combine with MARFLOVET
1ml/2 litres of drinking water and HERBAL MARPHASOL . Three these kinds of medicines will be
orally administrated in the whole day.