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Avian cholera (avian pasteurellosis)
Avian cholera, also called avian pasteurellosis, is a serious bacterial disease caused by Pasteurella multocida. It affects many species of wild and domestic birds around the world, including seabirds such as the wandering albatross. This d...
What is it?
Avian cholera, also called avian pasteurellosis, is a serious bacterial disease caused by Pasteurella multocida. It affects many species of wild and domestic birds around the world, including seabirds such as the wandering albatross. This disease often progresses very quickly, sometimes devastatingly, and can cause significant mortality within breeding colonies. In species living in large concentrations at nesting sites, such as the wandering albatross, spread can be particularly rapid due to the proximity between individuals.
Key point
Avian cholera can cause rapid and massive mortality within colonies, with a potentially serious impact on the conservation of the wandering albatross, a species classified as vulnerable.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
Clinical signs of avian cholera often appear very suddenly, sometimes without visible signs until the bird dies. In the acute form, the bird becomes despondent, refuses to feed, exhibits fever, difficulty breathing and sometimes drainage from the airways. Diarrhea, tremors or convulsions may appear in severe cases. In the chronic form, less common, we observe localized swelling (joints, sinuses, subcutaneous tissues), lameness or a tilted head indicating neurological damage. Death can occur within a few hours in acute forms, without the owner or observer having time to notice warning signs.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
The disease is caused by the bacteria Pasteurella multocida, a germ present naturally in the environment and can be carried without symptoms by certain birds or other animals. In the wandering albatross, infection can come from contact with carrier birds, contaminated corpses, water or soil contaminated with infected secretions, or even via rodents or other vectors present on nesting sites.
The high density of birds on breeding colonies favors the rapid transmission of the bacteria between individuals. Stress linked to reproduction, difficult climatic conditions or the presence of predators can weaken the immune defenses of albatrosses and facilitate infection. The presence of scavengers or carrier rodents on nesting islands also constitutes a risk factor. Humidity and temperature conditions can influence the survival of the bacteria in the environment.
Transmission
Transmission occurs mainly by direct contact between birds, by ingestion of contaminated water or food, or by contact with respiratory secretions, droppings or infected corpses. Insects and small mammals present on nesting sites can also play a role in the dissemination of the bacteria between individuals and between colonies.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The diagnosis is based on clinical examination supplemented by laboratory analyses, in particular bacterial culture from samples (blood, organs, swabs) to identify Pasteurella multocida. Additional tests such as PCR can be used to quickly confirm infection. In the context of wildlife, the autopsy of birds found dead is often essential to establish a diagnosis and assess the extent of a mortality episode.
Treatment
Treatment, when possible in a bird treated in time, is based on the administration of appropriate antibiotics under veterinary supervision, combined with supportive care such as rehydration and keeping warm. In wild albatross colonies, individual therapeutic intervention is in practice very difficult or even impossible due to the isolation of nesting sites and the rapid progression of the disease.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Prevention is primarily based on health monitoring of colonies and the rapid elimination of corpses to limit environmental contamination. Controlling rodent populations at nesting sites helps reduce potential reservoirs of the bacteria. For birds in captivity or in care centers, strict hygiene measures and quarantine of new arrivals are recommended. Vaccination exists for some species of domestic birds but is not commonly used in wild seabirds such as the wandering albatross.
Vaccination
Vaccines against Pasteurella multocida exist mainly for domestic poultry. Their use in wild seabirds such as the wandering albatross remains exceptional and limited to very specific conservation contexts, under the supervision of specialists in wildlife medicine.
Possible complications
Complications include widespread septicemia that can lead to death within hours, neurological damage that leaves after-effects in survivors, as well as mass mortalities within a colony during the breeding season, which can have a serious impact on an already vulnerable species like the wandering albatross.
When to see a veterinarian
Discovery of dead or dying birds in unusual numbers on a nesting site.
Observation of an albatross showing respiratory distress, marked depression or an inability to move.
Neurological signs such as head tilt, tremors or seizures in a bird.
Suspected cluster mortality requiring reporting to wildlife conservation authorities.
Transmission to humans
Pasteurella multocida can occasionally infect humans, generally through bites, scratches or direct contact with an infected or carrier animal. The risk mainly concerns people handling sick birds or corpses, such as field staff or researchers working on colonies. Wearing gloves and following basic hygiene measures when handling suspect birds is recommended.
Prognosis
The prognosis is generally very guarded to poor in acute forms, the course of which can be fatal within a few hours. In chronic forms, survival is possible but after-effects may persist. In an endangered species like the wandering albatross, an episode of avian cholera in a breeding colony can pose a significant threat to the local population, particularly if the disease affects breeding adults or chicks.
Frequently asked questions
Is avian cholera common in the wandering albatross?
Documented cases remain less frequent than in domestic poultry, but episodes of mortality linked to bacteria such as Pasteurella multocida have been observed in seabird colonies, particularly during conditions favoring the rapid spread of infection.
Can we treat a wild albatross suffering from avian cholera?
This remains very difficult in practice. The nesting sites of the wandering albatross are often isolated and the progression of the disease is sometimes so rapid that veterinary intervention is only possible in rare cases of early treatment in a specialized center.
Can this disease be transmitted to humans?
Yes, Pasteurella multocida is a zoonotic bacteria. The risk mainly concerns people in direct contact with sick or dead birds, hence the importance of hygiene measures during any handling.
What is the impact of avian cholera on the conservation of the species?
As the wandering albatross is a vulnerable species with a low reproduction rate, an episode of significant mortality in a colony can have lasting consequences on the numbers of the population concerned.
References
WOAH — Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (ex-OIE)
CDC — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
AVMA — American Veterinary Medical Association
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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