Septicemic Proteus Infection in Japanese Quail Chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

SUMMARY Proteus infection was incriminated as the cause of severe depression, coma, and high mortality in successive broods of quail chicks. The pathological lesions comprised congestion of lungs, liver, and kidneys and mucus exudation in the trachea. The organism, isolated from the heart blood and lungs of affected chicks, was identified on biochemical tests as Proteus mirabilis. Pathogenicity of the isolate was tested in young albino mice and week-old quail chicks, which succumbed to infection within 48 hours of inoculation. Association of P. mirabilis with septicemic disease in Japanese quails has apparently been demonstrated for the first time.