It is a widespread, highly contagious infection of the respiration and nervous systems of nervous system of poultry. Mortality due to the Raniket disease may be as high as 100 per cent in young flock. It may also affect the laying birds where mortality is not so high. It affects chickens mostly, but sometimes it also affects turkeys and other fowls. It can also affect man showing localized eye infection.
Casual organism:
Many strains of viruses producing this disease have been Isolated.
Transmission:
Directly from bird to bird through nasal or mouth discharges, by air, or by contaminated feed and litter.
Symptoms:
Respiratory difficulty with a pronounced gasping, coughing and rattling of the windpipes, the nervous sings usually appear 1 or 2 days after the respiratory signs occur. These may consist of partial or complete paralysis of one or both legs, tremor of head and in coordination of neck muscles. They follow a rather characteristic attitude- the head down between the legs or straight back between the shoulders.
On post-mortem examination there is hardly any lesion lo differentiate Raniket from other respiratory disease. However in most of the hemorrhages of proventriculus and hemorrhagic ulcers in intestine can be seen. Laboratory tests, along with certain signs are best diagnostic aids. When diseased bird posted thickening of the air sacks and mucus in the trachea or wind pipe is seen. In adult’s flocks, egg production drops in two or throe days lo almost zero.
Prevention:
Vaccinate the birds against the Raniket disease. It is safe and effective.
Control:
There is no effective treatment or control of the disease. These days it has been seen that Raniket attacks mostly old laying flocks duo 16 decrease in tin – blood antibody levels. Therefore, laying flocks can be revaccinated with water soluble vaccines to boost up the antibody level without causing any stress.
