Occurrence: Worldwide.
Species affected: All.
Age affected: All.
Causes: Gram negative bacteria- Escherichia coli. It is the most common bacterial pathogen of poultry, and the second most common of all poultry pathogens.
Effects: Low performance in older birds, or high mortality in younger birds. High embryonic mortality, respiratory distress and enteritis can be evident.
Detailed causes:
This disease has a number of names because it causes granulomas in adults and yolk sac infection in chicks.
Coli Granuloma is chronic in mature birds of all species, and may be acute in chicks occurring as omphalitis.
Escherichia coli are gram-negative, non-acid-fast, non-spore-forming bacilli, and many strains have flagella.
Mode of transmission
E. coli may be a primary or secondary invader. It is the most common bacterial pathogen in poultry and second most common of all pathogens of poultry.
Faecal contamination of eggs, transovarian contamination, contaminated water and feed with bacteria can occur commonly.
Aerosol spread may occur.
Special note
E. coli is a normal contaminant in the intestines and may complicate mycoplasma, IBV, LT, and/or NDV in the air sacs, heart, liver and lungs causing air sacculities and/or chronic respiratory disease (CRD). Several serotypes make vaccination difficultur. E. coli is a very important cause of economic losses in poultry due to mortality, drops in weight gain, hatchability and an import cause of Septicemia-toxemia (sept-tox), air sacculities, and IP condemnations in processing plant. Sept-tox is the leading infectious cause of condemnation in the broiler processing plant in the US, air sacculities is the second, and IP the third.
Clinical signs:
Low performance in older birds or high mortality in younger birds, high embryonic mortality, respiratory distress and enteritis (diarrhoea) can be evident.
Postmortem lesions
Cauliflower-like nodules on viscera (granuloma), omphalitis in chicks, discoloured and misshapen yolk (mushy chick) are seen. These lesions are characteristic. Air sacculitis, salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct), enteritis, synovitis, arthritis, pericarditis, peritonitis, panophthalmitis, or swollen head syndrome are common. Cellulitis, an inflammation of the cellular or connective tissue, can be caused by E. coli. The soft tissue is heavily necrotic and may be gangrenous. It can result in extensive processing plant condemnation. It is sometimes called infectious process or IP.
Diagnosis:
Laboratory isolation of E. coli for lesions, yolk, blood on MacConkey’s or methylene blue agar (EMB). Colonies are pink on MacConkey’s and dark with metallic sheen. It simulates Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Tuberculosis, Fowl cholera, Marek’s disease and Aspergillosis.
Treatment and control:
Prevention
- Use mycoplasma-free stock to prevent interaction with E. coli.
- Pellet feed to kill bacteria.
- Bacterin for breeders or turkeys (serotype 02, 078) egg and hatchery sanitation to reduce organisms.
- Chlorinate water (3 to 5 ppm) and use nipple drinkers to reduce transmission in water.
- An inactivated vaccine is available for breeders and layers.
Treatment
Chlortetracycline (CTC) (400 g/ton), Oxytetracycline (OTC), Quinolones (Flumequine), Sulfadimethoxine and Ormetroprim or Trimethoprim, can be used.
Gentamicin can be given by subcutaneous injection at 1 day-of-age.
Chlorox® in water at 2 to 4 oz/gal for 1-3 weeks or Quinolone in water for 3-5 days to treat clinical signs.
