On male quails and suspicious frothy excretions
We received images of a batch of quail where the meat inspectors observed the presence of abundant excretions with a foamy consistency and anomalous white coloration during the antemortem inspection.
They suspected of an intestinal disturbance that is changing the texture of the stools, either infectious or due to a lack of food. While it is true that certain infectious agents such as coccidia or Salmonella pullorum can alter the consistency of the faeces and even cause the appearance of foam in them, this whitish coloration or the consistent texture, reminiscent of whipped egg white, has not been described.
Male quails have a seminal gland in the cloaca that produces a white foam (does not contain sperm) but helps transport the sperm. In this case, then, it is most likely that male quails have arrived in this batch, already sexually mature, and that the excretions that are observed consist of this seminal foam.
To be honest, most of the SESC pathologists were unaware of the existence of this gland and we have learned this with this case. Of course, we want to take this opportunity to wish you a very good year 2024, full of new interesting cases! (EV)
Frothy seminal excretion (arrow) in a quail transport box.
Other frothy depositions observed in the batch.
You can see clearer pictures of the seminal fluid in this publication. Finseth et al 2013 Journal of Evolutionary Biology
