Acute necrotising pneumonitis associated with Suttonella ornithocola infection in tits (Paridae).

Abstract Suttonella ornithocola, first isolated from the lungs of British tit species in 1996, was found to be a novel bacterium belonging to the family Cardiobacteriaceae . Comprehensive surveillance of garden bird mortality across Great Britain between April 2005 and April 2009 involved post mortem and microbiological examination of 82 tits (Paridae; multiple species) and six long-tailed tits (Aegithalidae; Aegithalos caudatus ). S. ornithocola was isolated from six birds submitted from six incidents of morbidity and mortality involving Paridae and Aegithalidae species with a wide geographical distribution. The mortality incidents occurred sporadically at low incidence throughout the study period, which suggested that the infection is endemic in native bird populations, with a seasonal peak during early spring. Histopathological examination showed multiple foci of acute pulmonary necrosis associated with Gram-negative cocco-bacillary bacteria. These findings supported the hypothesis that S. ornithocola is a primary pathogen of tits in Great Britain.