Diagnosis of gallibacterium anatis in layers

Gallibacterium anatis, a member of the Pasteurellaceae family, leads to decrease in egg-production and animal welfare and increase in mortality. In this study, it was aimed to diagnose G. anatis which caused economic losses in laying hens by using conventional and molecular techniques. In this study, G. anatis was examined from a total of 200 dead chicken tissues (heart, liver, lung, spleen and trachea) in laying hen farms that observed a decrease in egg production with respiratory system infection. Conventional methods based on colony morphology, sugar fermentation tests and hemolytic properties and molecular conformation using 16S rRNA-23S rRNA specific primers were performed to identify of G. anatis. G. anatis was isolated in 20 (10%) of examined samples and isolates were confirmed by conventional PCR. Total of 11 (2.2%) positivity was obtained as isolates were result of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performed on the direct tissues and organs. As a result, the presence of G. anatis was detected for the first time in Turkey by this study. It was thought that G. anatis may have a role in egg production losses due to respiratory tract infection in poultry and this situation may be a guide for poultry clinicians and microbiologists. This research was supported by Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit with 0468-YL-17 project number. Keywords: Gallibacterium anatis, Isolation and Identification, Layers, PCR