An outbreak of fowl cholera in ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus).

A total of 120 ring-necked pheasants from a 3000-bird flock in Zeeland, MI, died over a 3-day period. Clinical signs included sudden death, diarrhea, and limping. At necropsy, hepatomegaly with multifocal cream-colored foci randomly distributed throughout the parenchyma was observed in diseased birds. Additionally, the spleen was enlarged up to three times its normal size and had a marbled appearance. Microscopically, there was multifocal splenic and hepatic necrosis with intralesional rod-shaped bacteria. Pasteurlla multocida serotype 3/4 was isolated from liver and spleen. In this paper, we report an outbreak of acute fowl cholera in ring-necked pheasants.