Infectious Disease Exposure in a Wild Turkey Population

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Abstract
From 1964 to 1967, a wild turkey population in south Texas was studied serologically for infectious disease exposure. More than 700 turkey sera were collected. Serologic results indicated little or no activity of Eastern, California, and Venezuelan virus encephalitis; encephalo-myocarditis; Newcastle disease; ornithosis; Salmonella pullorum and S. typhimurium or Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Small numbers of western virus encephalitis reactors (3 to 11%) were detected in all 4 years of the study. Serologic reactors to St. Louis virus encephalitis [SLVE] 1st appeared in 1965, and in subsequent years 21-26% of the birds were reactors. The serologic results in turkeys reflected SLVE activity in human populations of the area. The occurrence of vesicular stomatitis in local livestock during 1965 was also reflected in turkey sera at that time, when 35% of the birds were reactors. The significance of virus antibodies in wild turkeys against several important animal diseases was discussed.

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