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Veterinary Medicine Notes Common Bacterial Infections in Chickens - Veterinary Bacteriology Notes

Common Bacterial Infections In Chickens Notes

Updated Common Bacterial Infections In Chickens Notes

Common Bacterial Infections in Chickens - Veterinary Bacteriology Notes

Common Bacterial Infections in Chickens - Veterinary Bacteriology

Approximately 7 pages

This note is a summary of the common bacterial infections in chickens. It is in table form and contains the names, causative bacteria and description of the diseases, clinical signs, diagnoses, and the prevention, treatment and control of the diseases....

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The following is a more accessible plain text extract of the PDF sample above, taken from our Common Bacterial Infections in Chickens - Veterinary Bacteriology Notes. Due to the challenges of extracting text from PDFs, it will have odd formatting:

Disease name

Bac. name

 Description c/s Dx Prevention, tx n control
Colibacillosis or colisepticemia in poultry

E. coli

 Systemic disease – bacteremia (acute septicemia or subacute airsacculitis &polyserositis in young broilers).

Postmortem lesions – hepatitis &splentitis, with increased fluids accumulations in the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

•Survivors of acute septicemia usually develop pericarditis, perihepatitis& fibrinopurulent airsacculitis. •Other less common disease manifestation – pneumonia, salpingitis, arthritis & osteomyelitis.

Samples

Septicemic disease - heart blood, bone marrow &parenchymatous organs

Isolation of E. coli

Media – tryptose blood agar &MacConkey agar

Incubation – aerobic, 37ºC for 24 to 48 hours

Colonies on blood agar – smooth or rough (2-3mm in diameter), low convex, moist, shiny, entire & grey)

Colonies on MacConkey agar – lactose positive

Identification of E. coli

Tube biochemical or commercial strip test.

(TSI, SIM, Oxidase, catalase, nitrate reduction)

Molecular detection method – PCR to detect virulence factors genes

Antibiotic

•Antibiotic susceptibility test

•Amoxycillin, tetracyclines, neomycin (intestinal activity only), gentamycin or ceftiofur, potentiated sulphonamide, flouroquinolones.

Prevention

•Good hygiene in handling of hatching eggs, hatchery hygiene, good sanitation of house, feed and water. Well-nourished embryo and optimal incubation to maximise day-old viability.

•Control of predisposing factors and infections (usually by vaccination).

Pullorum disease

(bacillary white diarrhoea )

Salmonella pullorum

-Chicken (aftr 2w hacthing)

-Route of infection is oral or via the navel/yolk. Septicemia, highly fatal to eggs and chicks

-Birds huddle together & exhibit a white foamy diarrhea. Adult birds loss of appetite, weakness, greenish brown diarrhea

-The mortality rate is high and affected birds anorexic, depressed and have whitish fecal pasting around their vents.

•Characteristic lesions include whitish nodes throughout the lungs and focal necrosis of liver and spleen.

-Inappetance, depression, ruffled feathers, closed eyes, loud chirping, white diarrhea, vent pasting, gasping, lameness

Samples

GIT disease – intestinal contents

Septicemic disease - heart blood

Isolation of Salmonella spp

Media – Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium, xylose lysine deoxycholate (XLD) agar, MacConkey agar.

Incubation – aerobic, 37ºC for 24 to 48 hours

Colonies on XLD– pink colonies with black centre/completely black

Colonies on MacConkey agar – non lactose fermenting

Identification of Salmonella spp

Tube biochemical or commercial strip test.

(TSI, SIM, Oxidase, catalase, nitrate reduction)

Molecular identification method – PCR targeting Salmonella-specific genes.

Antibiotic

Amoxycillin, tetracycline, fluoroquinolones (pullorum disease in chicken)

Innate immune responses are important in controlling the early phases of infection with Salmonella spp

Eradication

•can be largely eradicated if infected adult birds are slaughtered.

•good hatchery hygiene.
Infectious coryza

Avibacteriumparagallinarum

(Haemophilusparagallinarum)

Virulence factor - polysaccharide capsule (mediate attachment of the organism to cilia of the nasal mucosa).

-Infectious coryza may occur in growing chickens and layers.

-Susceptible birds exposed to the agents usually develop clinical signs within 3 days.

-Affects the upper respiratory tract and paranasal sinuses of chickens.

 The most common clinical signs are facial swelling, mucous nasal discharge, lacrimation (shedding tears, or shedding more tears than is normal), anorexia, and diarrhoea

Based on the characteristic clinical signs (facial swelling)

•Isolation & identification

Sample: sinus fluid, tracheal exudates & nasal swab.

Inoculate samples on blood agar & chocolate agar (optimal growth is obtained in an atmosphere of 5-10% CO2)

Incubate at 37C for 24-48 hours.

Biochemical test – TSI, SIM, citrate, oxidase, catalase

•Serology

detection of antibody

Hemagglutination inhibition (HI)

Vaccination – kill vaccine.

•Macrolides, sulfonamides, or tetracycline are administrated in feed or water.

•Good management of poultry unit.

Coryza free replacement birds.

An all-in/all-out flow of birds.

Depopulated a flock for disease elimination (if necessary).
Botulism

Clostridium botulinum

They induce flaccid paralysis through intoxication of the neuromuscular junction.

Spores germinate in animal carcasses or rotting vegetation and produce enough toxin to cause disease outbreaks in ruminants, horses, fowl and swine.

-anorexia,

•incoordination, ataxia (loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement)

•flaccid paralysis (unresponsive muscles)

•loss of ability to fly and drooping head ‘limberneck’ are common (waterfowl & duck)

•chicken often have diarrhoea

Toxic...

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