Blue Comb Disease
By
Adam Zurfluh
Table of Contents
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Type of Disease
Symptoms
Clinical Signs
Transmission
Treatment
Prevention
Type of Disease
• Scientific Name- Infectious Tenosynovitis
• Viral Disease
• Turkeys and Chickens
Symptoms
• Tenosynovitis - Swelling and inflammation of the
sheath that surrounds certain tendons
• Malabsorption Syndrome - Group of
symptoms such as gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and
diarrhea resulting from the inability to properly absorb
nutrients.
• Helicopter disease – Just a part of
Malabsorbtion Sydrome
• Reovirus infection – RNA virus that targets the
joints or respiratory and intestinal tissues
Clinical Signs
• Bluish color in the comb
• Affected birds lame, sit on their hocks, and
are reluctant to move.
• Rupture of the tendon can occur in older
roaster birds
• More than two joints are affected, the
entire carcass will be condemned
Transmission
• Infection spreads rapidly through broiler
flocks
• Less rapidly in caged layers
• Spread by respiratory and digestive tract
routes
• The virus is shed in the feces.
Treatment
• There is no satisfactory treatment
available
• Hens - tetracycline, molasses, and oyster
shell therapy is helpful.
Prevention
• Vaccine - available for use in endemic
areas or on endemic farms
• Teno-vaxin
The End
References
• http://www.drugs.com/vet/teno-vaxin.html
• http://www.springerlink.com/content/y72w7
v5435367833/
• http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factshe
ets/31.html