title: Comb candidiasis affecting roosters in a broiler breeder flock.
abstract: A cutaneous mycosis caused by Candida albicans that involved the combs and less frequently the wattles, facial skin, ear lobes, and neck of male broiler breeders is described. Roosters were 35 wk old and housed with hens in two conventional broiler breeder houses on a farm in western North Carolina. Morbidity was approximately 10% in one house and less than 2% in the other house. Mortality and flock fertility were not affected. Three birds from the most affected house were examined. All birds had white adherent material on their combs that presented as crusty patches or lighter diffuse areas. Often, lesions were roughly circular or had a defined margin. Small black scabs were present in a few lesions. Similar but less extensive lesions were located on the wattles, facial skin, ear lobes, and rictus. In one bird, lesions extended down the neck, and they were accompanied by hyperemia and feather loss. Hyperkeratosis with little to no inflammation and intralesional fungi occurring as yeast and pseudohyphae were seen microscopically. High numbers of C. albicans were isolated and identified from the lesions.
authors.affiliation: Poultry Health Management Team, Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Osorio
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Dykstra
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: H John
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003129:Comb and Wattles / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology