Isolation of Newcastle disease virus and Salmonella typhimurium from the brain of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Avian paramyxovirus type 1 (Newcastle disease virus) and Salmonella typhimurium were isolated from the brain and lung tissues of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) from Lac Canard, Alberta, Canada. More than 100 birds died during this outbreak in 1999. Affected birds presented signs of central nervous system disease characterized by unilateral wing and leg paralysis. Other geographic locations in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan have reported cases of cormorants suffering from diseases with signs compatible with Newcastle disease. The virus isolated in the 1999 outbreak was characterized as mesogenic. These findings suggest that other pathogens, like S. typhimurium, may influence the clinical presentation of disease caused by mesogenic strains of Newcastle disease virus in cormorants.