Hjarre’s disease in chickens: clinical, pathological, microbiological and therapeutic findings

Abstract

Hjarre's disease (Coligranuloma) in commercial chickens was investigated and detected in 5 layer flocks out of 47 outbreaks based on clinical, pathological, microbiological and therapeutical findings. The investigation areas were at Dinajpur and Nilphamari districts, but the laboratory examinations were conducted at Dinajpur Government Veterinary College, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The flocks had 441, 212, 690, 5400 and 735 birds aged between 26 to 64 weeks and reared in cages. The clinical signs of the affected birds varied markedly from farm to farm and diarrhoea, depression, soiled vent, reduces egg production, loss of body condition and death were recorded. The morbidity rate was around 100%, but the mortality rate was 3-9%. At necropsy the birds showed characteristics nodular lesions on the serosal surface of the intestine, uterus, mesentery and in liver. The affected organs were processed for the bacteriological examination and the organisms were isolated and identified without typification. Gram stained impression smears from the necrotic areas of the nodules revealed gram negative organisms which were isolated by culturing using different agar media and identified by their colony characteristics including biochemical reaction in differential media. No acid fast organisms found on acid fast staining of the impression smears. The collected organs were processed and stained for the histopathological study, where granulomatous inflammation and the characteristic caseation necrosis were recorded. The flocks were treated individually either with colistin sulphate, or fluoroquinolones, or oxytetracycline considering the apparently presence of concurrent infection. The present findings indicated that the poultry is sensitive to colistin sulphate.

Key words: Hjarre's disease, E. coli, clinico-pathology, therapy, chickens

DOI = 10.3329/bjvm.v5i1.1309

Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2007). 5 (1 & 2): 49-53