01617nas a2200241   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260007000043653002400113653004100137653002200178653003300200100001400233700001300247700001200260700001400272700001400286245009600300300001200396490000800408520094500416022001401361       2014                            d  c04/2014bSchlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KGaHannover10aConjunctival oedema10adisseminated intravasal coagulopathy10apoultry  red mite10aErysipelothrix rhusiopathiae1 aF Schmitt1 aB Schade1 aB Böhm1 aY Shimoji1 aC Pfahler00aErysipelas in a free-range layer flock with conjunctival oedema as an unusual clinical sign  a183-1870 v1273 aErysipelas was diagnosed in a free-range laying flock with a high mortality of  up to 7% per day and a severe decrease in egg production to 45%. The disease  had a short course and unusual clinical features for erysipelas, including swollen,  lacrimating and encrusted eyes. Bacteriologically, trapped poultry red mites and  affected animals were culture-positive for Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. Isolates  from layers and mites were both serotype 1b. Histopathology revealed disseminated  intravasal coagulopathy in conjunctival small vessels as the cause of the  oedema of the eye adnexes. After treatment with penicillin, mortality and egg  production returned to normal levels. Although erysipelas in laying hens is rarely reported, it can develop as an emerging disease in alternative rearing systems  and should always be considered if mortality increases in an older flock, especially  with a high infestation of poultry red mites.   a0005-9366