A survey of disease-causing agents in wild turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo) in Ontario, Canada

Many potential disease-causing agents pose a threat to the health of wildlife. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) were extirpated from Ontario in the early 1900’s due to unregulated over-hunting. Since their reintroduction... [ view full abstract ]

Many potential disease-causing agents pose a threat to the health of wildlife. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) were extirpated from Ontario in the early 1900’s due to unregulated over-hunting. Since their reintroduction in 1984, they have increased in number and geographic range; however, information on the health and the occurrence of pathogens that may cause disease in this population is lacking. To assess the health and pathogen-carrying status of wild turkeys in Ontario we conducted 1) a retrospective analysis of post-mortem findings and diagnoses for 56 wild turkeys over a 20-year period at the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative to provide a long-term outlook of detected diseases, and 2) a prospective study investigating pathogens associated with disease outbreaks or decreasing the fitness of 152 wild turkeys in Ontario (e.g., Mycoplasma spp., Eimeria spp., avian pox virus, and avian influenza viruses). Laboratory tests included culture (Mycoplasma spp., Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp.), fecal floats (Eimeria spp.), and PCR (avian poxvirus, avian influenza viruses). With respect to the retrospective study, non-infectious diagnostic findings (69.6%) were more common than infectious (28.6%), with emaciation identified most frequently (33.9%) followed by trauma (19.6%). The majority (98.7%) of oropharyngeal swabs from turkeys in the prospective study tested positive for ≥1 Mycoplasma spp. (of 6 identified species). In addition, 76.0% of fecal samples tested positive for Eimeria spp., 69.1% of cloacal swabs were positive for E. coli spp., 2 turkeys had avian pox with grossly-evident skin lesions, and all oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs tested negative for avian influenza viruses and Salmonella, respectively. This baseline data will aid in future monitoring of disease emergence and will contribute to conservation and management strategies which help to ensure sustainable populations of wild turkeys in Ontario.