Genital form of pasteurellosis in breeding turkeys infected during artificial insemination and isolation of an unusual strain of Pasteurella multocida.

A genital and potentially fatal form of Pasteurella multocida infection was reported on two turkey-breeding farms on which birds were vaccinated against Pasteurella multocida. Both outbreaks were linked to the use of semen from young vaccinated toms with a history of respiratory pasteurellosis followed by treatment during rearing. Typing by agar gel immunodiffusion and rapid slide agglutination of P. multocida isolated from cloacal swabs was completed by multilocus sequence typing. Restriction enzyme analysis showed that that the isolates were clonal. They belonged to sequence type (ST) 30, described in chickens, cats, and ducks. This strain differed in sequence type from the ones used in the vaccine (ST8, ST60, ST53, and ST235), which might have limited its effectiveness. No contamination of the semen (n = 30) was found, suggesting fecal contamination during semen collection.