Gastrointestinal microflora of mutton birds (Puffinus tenuirostris) in relation to "limy" disease

Mushin, Rose (University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) and Frances M. Ashburner. Gastrointestinal microflora of mutton birds (Puffinus tenuirostris) in relation to "limy" disease. J. Bacteriol. 83:1260-1267. 1962.-The aerobic bacterial intestinal flora of mutton birds, healthy and affected with "limy" disease, was investigated, mainly in birds from Great Dog Island, Bass Strait, Australia. A total of 1,274 specimens from gut on post-mortem and from cloacal swabs was examined. No indication was obtained of a pathogenic bacterial species concerned in "limy" disease. A study was made of the types of organisms and their distribution in the gut of mutton birds. The sparsity, or occasional absence, of aerobic bacterial flora in some birds, especially adults, was noticed. The "limy" birds, by comparison with normal chicks, had a richer flora more evenly distributed through the alimentary canal. A higher ratio of gram-negative to gram-positive bacterial types was recorded in chicks; adult birds had a lower or an even numerical ratio. The comparatively frequent occurrence of Proteus species, except P. mirabilis, and of irregular and intermediate coliform types was evident. Escherichia coli type I was not a constant inhabitant of the gut. The gram-positive flora consisted mostly of Staphylococcus saprophyticus, S. lactis, and Enterococcus. The possibility that "limy" disease may be caused by physiological factors is discussed.