Staphylococcus hyicus associated with turkey stifle joint osteomyelitis.

Essentially pure cultures of Staphylococcus hyicus were isolated in moderate to high numbers from tibia growth-plate lesions from five of nine turkey hens showing clinical signs of stifle joint osteomyelitis. Of the four other tibia growth-plate specimens examined, Salmonella sp. and Enterococcus faecalis were individually isolated from one bird each, and no bacterial pathogens were isolated from the remaining two cases. Staphylococcus aureus, considered the most common cause of osteomyelitis in turkeys, was isolated from none of the nine birds examined in this flock. These findings suggest a strong association between S. hyicus and turkey stifle joint osteomyelitis.