Eastern equine encephalomyelitis outbreak in coturnix quail

Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) was the cause of heavy mortality in coturnix quail (Coturnix coturnix) reared commercially in South Carolina. The birds showed depression, tremor, and partial paralysis that advanced into complete paralysis, torticollis, and death within a few hours. The only consistent lesion on necropsy was a catarrhal enteritis in the duodenal area. The disease spread rapidly to all pens throughout the two houses on the farm in all birds over 2 weeks old, and mortality ranged from 40 to 90% in the various pens within the house. Total mortality exceeded 90,000 birds. Age groups on the farm ranged from 1 day to 8 weeks, at which time the birds went for slaughter. It appears that the initial infection was spread by cannibalism. EEE was diagnosed by isolating the virus in fertile eggs and suckling mice, with subsequent identification by complement-fixation. This is the first documented case of EEE in coturnix quail.