Experimental reproduction of turkey syndrome 65 with Mycoplasma meleagridis and M gallisepticum and associated changes in serum protein characteristics

Abstract

Groups of one-day-old turkeys were infected with two isolates of Mycoplasma meleagridis and one of M gallisepticum. The experiment was terminated at three weeks of age when the incidence of TS65 in the three groups were 32, 24 and 82 per cent respectively. The development of TS65 in the M meleagridis-infected groups was not accompanied by dramatic falls of serum albumin levels thus invalidating the hypothesis that low serum albumin concentration is a primary factor in the development of TS65.