Investigation of the presence of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale in chickens in Turkey and determination of the seroprevalance of the infection using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

In this study, the presence of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale infection in the avian population in the Marmara and the Western Black Sea region was investigated. Trachea samples were randomly obtained from 96 chickens sent to slaughterhouses. The seroprevalance of the infection was determined in 384 blood sera. Ninety-six of these 384 samples belonged to animals from which trachea samples were obtained. Eleven (11.46%) O. rhinotracheale were isolated in 96 trachea samples taken from 10 different flocks brought to the slaughterhouse. Serotype A was the predominant serotype among the 11 isolates of O. rhinotracheale. One isolate could not be serotyped. O. rhinotracheale antibodies were detected in 251 (64.4%) of the 384 sera, while 55 (14.3%) and 78 (20.3%) were suspected and negative, respectively.