This study was undertaken to explore the issue of yeast species prevalence in colonizing the gastrointestinal tract of healthy turkeys. The samples were collected from the beak cavity, crop, and cloaca of 5-wk-old turkeys, cultured and classified using morphological, biochemical, and genetic analysis based on ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2 fragment sequencing. Our of all the samples, 12.4% were yeast positive. The highest number of strains, 50% of the total collected, were isolated from the crop, with 30.8% coming from the beak cavity and 19.2% from the cloaca. The most frequently isolated yeast belonged to Candida species (88.5%), followed by Trichosporon (7.7%) and Rhodotorula (3.8%). The most prevalent species was Candida catenulata (30.7%), followed by Candida albicans (21.7%), Candida pahnioleophila (17.4%), Candida rugosa (17.4%), and Candida glabrata (8.7%). The present study, showing the prevalence of yeast species of the gastrointestinal tract, is a stepping stone to investigating the physiological mycobiota of turkeys' gastrointestinal tract.

The poultry industry is under pressure to produce safe and good quality meat in the welfare conditions. Many areas such as genetics, biosecurity, and immunoprophylaxis were improved, and hatchery is one of the areas in which welfare could be improved for better production output. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of early post-hatch nutrition providing body weight and muscle development in broiler chickens. The experiment involving two groups (chicken hatched with access to water and feed in the hatcher, and chicken without feed and water in hatcher) was replicated three times, and the body weights and breast-muscle index of the randomly chosen 30 chickens per group in each term were measured on the 1st, 7th, 21st, and 35th day of life. The breast-muscle sample was taken for genetic examination (the expression of the myoD, myoG, and MRF4 genes) and histological examination. The results showed that the positive effect of early nutrition was observed on the seventh day of bird life with higher expression of myoG and MRF4 and higher body weight of the birds. The positive effect of early nutrition on the diameter of the breast-muscle fibers was visible on days 21 and 35 of chicken life. The average final body weight in groups with early access to food and water was 5% higher than in groups hatched under classic conditions. Conclusions: early feeding in the hatcher improves performance and muscle growth in broiler chickens.

Severe disease outbreaks of erysipelas in poultry flocks are caused by infection with the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. This disease occurs in a wide range of poultry, including turkey, broiler chicken, hen, goose, and pheasant flocks. Erysipelas usually follows an acute course in birds, in the form of sepsis. Infections with E. rhusiopathiae occur through damaged skin or mucous membranes. The symptoms that occur just before death include unsteady locomotion and a lack of coordinated movement. A chronic form of bacterial infection primarily occurs in turkeys that have been vaccinated against erysipelas, and, in addition to affecting the joints, endocarditis can occur. Usually, carcasses are in good condition and correctly muscled, although ecchymosis might be visible in subcutaneous fat and thigh muscles, while internal organs become enlarged, such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. Histopathological tests indicate major vascular changes in the parenchymatous organs. Points of necrosis related to the infarctions of the large vessels are rarely observed, whereas spilled degenerative changes of parenchymatous organs are more likely to be observed. Turkeys are the only species of poultry for which vaccines against erysipelas have been registered; however, this vaccination is also effective for other poultry. E. rhusiopathiae is mainly sensitive to penicillin, but also responds to cephalosporins, tetracyclines, quinolines, clindamycin, erythromycin, and piperacillin.

SUMMARY Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes erysipelas in many vertebrate species. Severe disease outbreaks have been noted in many poultry species—chickens, ducks, emus, pheasants, pigeons, and geese. This article describes the biochemical and genetic analyses of six E. rhusiopathiae strains isolated from geese for meat production. The isolates came from birds kept in different poultry houses on one farm, and were collected during two erysipelas outbreaks. We analyzed and compared the isolates by random amplified polymorphic DNA with the use of NK6 primer and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, with the restriction enzyme SmaI. Biochemical examination was performed with API Coryne test. Analyses showed that the three strains isolated during the first outbreak differed, whereas the three isolates from the second outbreak were identical to one another, but distinct from the isolates from the first outbreak. The results of biochemical and genetic analyses of E. rhusiopathiae strains isolated from geese sugges... RESUMEN Reporte de caso- Brotes de erisipela en parvadas de gansos en Polonia – Análisis bioguímico y genético de los aislamientos. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causa erisipela en muchas especies de vertebrados. Se han observado brotes severos de la enfermedad en varias especies aviares como pollos, patos, emúes, faisanes, palomas y gansos. Este artículo describe los análisis bioquímicos y genéticos de seis cepas de E. rhusiopathiae aisladas de gansos para la producción de carne. Los aislamientos procedían de aves criadas en diferentes casetas en una granja, y se recolectaron durante dos brotes de erisipela. Los aislamientos se analizaron y compararon mediante el análisis del polimorfismo del ADN amplificado aleatoriamente con el uso del iniciador NK6, con electroforesis en gel de campo con pulsaciones y con la enzima de restricción SmaI. El examen bioquímico se realizó con la prueba de Coryne API. Los análisis mostraron que las tres cepas aisladas durante el primer brote eran diferentes, mientras que los...