Salmonellosis in Poultry Birds - Killing profits

Salmonellosis

The gram negative rod shaped bacteria common in poultry are

g   Salmonella pullorum

g   Salmonella gallinarum

g   Salmonella typhimurium

Pullorum Disease

Causative agent – Salmonella pullorum.

Incidence and distribution- Chickens all over the world.

Transmission

g   Vertically through hatching eggs.

g   Horizontal through litter, feed and water.

Signs

g   High mortality in chicks below 3 weeks of age.

g   Excessive numbers of embryos dead in shell.

g   Chick death shortly after hatching.

g   Tendency to huddle.

g   Respiratory distress.

g   Loss of appetite

g   Soiled vent with white viscous droppings.

g   Occasionally swollen joints.

g   Dropped egg production in layers.

Gross Lesions

Chicks

g   Sudden mortality

g   Peritonitis with inflamed, unabsorbed yolk sac. 

Fibrinous peritonitis of poultry bird in salmonellosis

  g   Liver enlarged and congested . 

Enlarged liver of layer bird with rounded edges

                             

          g   Congested or anemic kidneys with distended ureters with urates as shown

Urates present in uraters of layer birds

g   Enlarged spleen.

Spleenomegaly in Pullorum Disease

g   Lungs may be congested.

g   Caeca are enlarged and distended with casts of hard, dry necrotic material. 

Layers

g   Ovaries irregular, misshapen, cystic, discoloured and pedunculated with prominent thickness and stalks.

Chronic fowl typhoid - pedunculated (mishappened)
ovary follicles

Pericarditis - Heart showing white nodulor lesions

g   Abdominal peritonitis, arthritis and pericarditis.

Odema of tibio tarsal in Salmonellosis (arthritis)

g   Discrete small white necrotic focl are often found in liver.

Liver showing copper sheen in salmonellosis 

 

Histopathology

g   Degenerative changes and necrosis of liver parenchyma with infiltration of mononuclear cells.

Mononuclear infiltration

g   Degenerative changes and focal necrotic areas of liver parenchyma with congestion and haemorrhages. 

Diagnosis

g   Confirmative diagnosis by isolation and identification of S. pullorum.

Salmonella growth on XLD agar for cultural diagnosis

g   Serology by rapid plate agglutination test.

Salmonella pullorum Antigen

LAH Pullorum Stained Antigen for Plate Agglutination Test (Material No. 10100762). This antigen is a suspension of five (5) killed, stained strains (4, 11, 77, 79 and 296) of Salmonella pullorum for serum plate agglutination (SPA) testing of chicken and turkey flocks.

Treatment of Salmonellosis:

There are several products available in the market to treat salmonella infection.

COLIDOX: Prevention of Salmonellosis

Composition :

Each kg contains:

• Colistin Sulphate : 1000 mg

• Doxycycline : 10,000 mg

• Excipient : Q.S.

Broilers & Layers: 500 g per ton of feed

Breeders: 1 kg per ton of feed

COLIGRO: For therapeutic use

Colistin Sulphate  for oral suspension USP (10%)

Usage: 1g/5lit for 7days