Pasteurella multocida-associated sinusitis in khaki Campbell ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

Pasteurella multocida group B, serotype 3, was isolated from sinusitis-affected khaki Campbell ducks. To study the role of P. multocida in sinusitis, commercial khaki Campbell ducks were experimentally infected with P. multocida alone or combined with Escherichia coli. In Expt. 1, experimental ducks were infected with P. multocida intranasally or ocularly. A comparison was done by intranasal inoculation with pooled nasal discharge from the affected ducks or phosphate-buffered saline. The ducks intranasally inoculated with the nasal discharge or P. multocida showed sinusitis. In Expt. 2, E. coli alone or a combination of P. multocida and E. coli was intranasally inoculated into experimental ducks. The ducks intranasally inoculated with the combination of P. multocida and E. coli had sinusitis, the same as found in the field but less severe than that of the field cases. Pasteurella multocida was already present in litter/floor of duck farms. We concluded that P. multocida played a role in induction of sinusitis. However, the sinusitis in ducks may be initiated by poor management, especially in the brooding period of ducks.