| SALMONELLOSIS Bacillary White Diarrhea - Chicks Oullorum Disease - Layers |
Causative Agent: Salmonella pullorum |
Transmission: 1. Feco - oral route, the primary source of infection may be contaminated feeds. 2. Vertical transmission - direct egg transmission from egg to chick. 3. Air-borne infection by inhaling the organism. |
Incubation Period: There is considerable variation in the severity and lenght of xourse in flock outbreaks. |
Morbidity: 5% to 20% of the flock. |
Mortality: As low as 2% to 50%. |
Age Group affected: All ages - common from 1 week to 3 weeks old. |
Signs: Chicks 1. Huddlenear the light, anorexia, depression, sleepy and weak. 2. White feces, soiled pasty vents. 3. Swelling of the joints leading to lameness. Layers 1. Low fertility and hatchability. 2. Decreased egg production. 3. Cyanosis or bluish discoloration of the comb and wattle. 4. Decreased feed consumption. |
Gross Lesions: Chicks 1. Unabsorbed yolk sacs. 2. Liver and spleen - focal necrosis and swollen. 3. Lungs, heart and gizzard - presence of grayish nodules. 4. Lower intestine - firm cheesy material with raised plaques in the mucosa. 5. Ceca - firm cheesy material. Layers 1. Heart - thickened pericardial sac, presence of ecchymotic hemorrhages. 2. Ovary - misshapened, greenish or grayish follicles, distorted with coagulated contents. 3. Intestines - watery content with difficult hemorrhages. |
Diagnosis: 1. Lesions may be highly suggestive. 2. Isolation and identification of the organism. 3. Serological test - serum agglutinins. 4. API 20E is commercially available. |
Differential Diagnosis: 1. Fowl typhoid. 2. Colibacillosis. 3. Staphylococcosis. 4. Poisoning. |