PATHOLOGICAL STUDY ON CLINICALLY SICK, DEAD AND SLAUGHTERED CHICKENS IN AND AROUND BISHOFTU, ETHIOPIA
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2019-06
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Abstract
In Ethiopia, the contribution of poultry production to small holder farmer and country economy is still restricted by various factors mainly due to infectious and non-infectious diseases. To contribute to this end a case study with a purposive sampling was conducted from October, 2018 to May, 2019 in and around Bishoftu on the 135 chickens (25 clinically sick, 10 dead and 100 slaughtered chickens) which aimed to investigate clinical signs, necropsy findings and histological lesions with isolation of bacterial agents and finally correlate the results with the problems. In the present study, all of the clinically sick chickens were found with at least two of the major clinical signs recorded and 24 (96%) of them were clinically depressed with diarrhea, respiration problems, discharges, decrease in egg production, retarded growth, paralysis and other signs frequently. By necropsy findings, the presence of gross lesions were examined in terms of consistency, texture, shape, size and color of organs in all cases and the main gross lesions recorded included mild to severe hemorrhage and congestion, severe and diffused necrosis, ulceration/necrosis, abnormal size and discoloration, nodules on the organs, ascites and fibrinous inflammation in different organs of the examined chickens. Among the examined organs grossly, the most affected organ was liver, 106 (78.5%) followed by caecal tonsil, 25 (71.4%), trachea, 22 (62.9%), duodenum, 20 (57.1%), jejunum and air sacs, 19 (54.3%) of both. Corresponded to these gross lesions, the major histopathologic lesions recorded were mild to severe infiltration with polymorpho nuclear and mono nuclear cells, mild to severe congestion, hemorrhages and necrosis, massive depletion of lymphoid tissues, development of cysts, sloughed mucosal epithelium, edema and degenerative changes. Moreover, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, from most to least, were isolated and Coccidia oocytes were also identified by microscopic examination. The correlation of the overall results of the present study identifies the presence of infectious diseases as the main constraints hampering the productivity and reproductively of the chickens in the study area which needs long term solution based on the scientific investigation.
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Chickens, clinical signs, gross lesions