Infectious Coryza in Backyard Poultry: Clinical Presentation and Therapeutic Management

Infectious coryza is an acute contagious upper respiratory disease of chickens caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum. The disease is characterized by facial edema, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, respiratory distress, reduced feed intake and decline in productivity. Backyard poultry systems remain highly vulnerable because of poor biosecurity and delayed therapeutic intervention. The present article describes a clinically diagnosed field case of infectious coryza in a backyard chicken with characteristic lesions including infraorbital sinus swelling, conjunctivitis, facial edema, open-mouth breathing and greenish-white diarrhea. Clinical findings, pathogenesis, diagnosis and practical therapeutic management are discussed with photographic documentation from the field case