Recent studies on aspergillosis in turkey poults

A review of the studies on aspergillosis in turkey poults at the National Animal Disease Center include limited field studies, pathogenicity studies, and vaccine development. Natural ventilation in turkey rearing houses was effective in reducing airborne propagules of four major fungal genera, but the effectiveness of ventilation appeared to be limited by the width of the building. Aspergillus fumigatus was more effective than A. flavus in producing mortalities in aerosol exposed poults. Toxigenicity of A. flavus did not enhance its pathogenicity, and no apparent aflatoxin production occurred during pathogenesis in infected turkey poults. Spores of A. fumigatus were disseminated quite rapidly in poults exposed to aerosols, and alveolar macrophages from respiratory lavages taken immediately after exposure contained spores of A. fumigatus. Vaccines produced from germlings of A. fumigatus and administered to turkey poults were the most efficacious of five vaccines tested against challenge exposure to aerosols of A. fumigatus spores.