Experimental Transmission of Pasteurella multocida from Raccoons to Turkeys via Bite Wounds

Fowl cholera was transmitted via bite wounds in the head and neck to susceptible turkeys from 7 of 8 raccoons infected experimentally with Pasteurella multocida. Used in the study were 2 isolates of P. multocida recovered from the tonsillar fossa of wild raccoons, 3 isolants from turkeys, and one from chickens. Of 53 turkeys bitten, 21 died 3 to 10 days later. In one experiment, the disease was transmitted from a bitten turkey to 2 contact turkeys in the same pen. P. multocida was isolated from the tonsillar fossa of 2 raccoons 15 months postexposure and from 2 raccoons 1 year postexposure. The findings support the hypothesis that the wild raccoon is a principal reservoir for fowl cholera in turkeys, and that the disease is transmitted via bites.