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gefluegelkrankheiten@vetmed.fu-berlin.de
Enterococci are commensal intestinal bacterial flora in humans and animals but can also cause infections when they opportunistically invade the host. Currently, there is a growing problem with Enterococcus-related diseases in poultry. The primary Enterococcus species that cause diseases in poultry are E. faecalis, E. faecium and E. cecorum, which emerged as a poultry pathogen in 2002 and is associated with locomotory disturbances such as myositis, arthritis, osteomyelitis, tenosynovitis, spondylitis, femoral head necrosis and tendinitis. E. faecalis and E. faecium can cause omphalitis, endocarditis and amyloidosis. Furthermore, E. faecalis has been connected to hepatic granuloma lesions in turkeys. E. hirae and E. durans were also isolated from young birds suffering from encephalomalacia. The rise in the prevalence of enterococci as secondary or primary pathogens led to severe economic losses due to higher mortality rates, decreased productivity and more condemnations.