Poultry Health Management Quiz

Approach to Coelomic Disorders Associated with GIT and the Liver in Poultry

• Learning Objectives (LOs):
  • Construct a differential diagnosis list based on clinical presentations associated with coelomic disorders linked to the GIT and liver, selecting appropriate diagnostics.
  • Determine suitable medical and surgical interventions for managing and treating coelomic disorders related to GIT and liver issues in poultry.
  • Determine appropriate prognosis based on individual animal and flock health.
  • Determine appropriate control measures for coelomic disorders connected to GIT and liver in poultry.

Gastrointestinal (GIT) Disorders

• Chicks (0-7 days):
  • Gizzard Impaction: Issues with the gizzard related to ingested material, requiring assessment of the bedding materials.
  • Non-starters: Chicks unable to sustain themselves off their yolk sac for 3 days, potentially due to environmental reasons.
  • Starvation: Chicks initially feeding, then stopping, potentially related to environmental factors.
• Young Birds (7-40 days):
  • Coccidiosis: Infection caused by E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella, affecting the intestinal tract.
  • Enteritis: Inflammation of the intestines, often associated with E. tenella.
  • Necrotic Enteritis: A serious condition involving necrotic areas in intestinal tissue.
  • Rotavirus: Viral infection causing digestive issues.
  • Gizzard Ulceration: Damage to the gizzard, potentially caused by mechanical factors, viruses (adenovirus), or mycotoxins.
• Adult Birds (layers & breeders):
  • Trichomoniasis: A parasitic infection.
  • Crop Impaction: Blockage in the crop.
  • Ingluvitis: A fungal infection of the crop.
  • Parasitic gastroenteritis: Caused by Ascaridia galli, and Heterakis gallinarum.
  • Histomoniasis (Blackhead): A potentially fatal parasitic disease.

Hepatic Disorders

• Chicks (0-7 days):
  • Bacterial Hepatitis: Often a secondary infection from GIT or respiratory tract issues; potentially fatal in its acute form.
• Young Birds (7-40 days):
  • Bacterial Hepatitis: Similar to chick form, possible underlying issues in the gut/ respiratory tract.
  • Inclusion body hepatitis: A viral disease.
  • Metabolic hypoglycemia: An imbalance in blood sugar levels.
• Adult Birds (layers & breeders):
  • Histomoniasis (Blackhead): Impacts liver health.
  • Bacterial Hepatitis: Usually caused by Erysiplas or Pasturellosis.
• Other Poultry:
  • Histomoniasis (Blackhead): affects liver health.
  • Bacterial Hepatitis: Infections caused by bacteria Erysiplas or Pasturellosis.

Clinical Signs

• General Signs:
  • Hunched posture, drooping tail, fluffed-up feathers
  • Penguin stance
  • Oral lesions
  • Crop distension or impaction
  • Regurgitation
  • Emaciation (weight loss) and cachexia
  • Abnormal droppings (profuse water, urates, diarrhea, blood, undigested food)
  • Reduced activity and behavior changes

Approach to GI Disease (Commercial vs. Pet-backyard)

• Commercial Poultry:
  • Post Mortem (PM) examination: Includes a full intestinal inspection (crop to rectum) to locate the affected region.
  • Further investigation methods include microscopy of contents and intestinal wall scrapes (bacteria and protozoa), histology (coccidiosis, viral & bacterial diseases, and electron microscopy (intestinal viruses).
• Pet/ Backyard Poultry:
  • Comprehensive history taking, including a clinical examination that focuses on palpable lesions in the crop and abdomen.
  • Investigation may include fecal smears (fecal egg count or fecal oocyst count), microscopic analysis of fecal samples (coccidia, spirochaetes), Gram staining (clostridia analysis), fecal cultures (Salmonella, Brachyspira), biochemistry, and hematology tests.

Bird Anatomy

• Diagrams of chicken anatomy, illustrating the digestive tract, organs, and their interrelationships.

Coccidiosis

• Characteristics: Non-motile protozoan; prevalent in poultry.
• Cost to Industry: Significant economic impact (£500 million).
• Host Specificity: Affects different bird species differently.
• Transmission: Occurs via consumption of contaminated feed or water.
• Pathogenesis: Infectious form developing within 2 days under ideal humidity, temperature, and oxygen conditions; 1 ingested egg can produce millions of progeny within a week.
• Treatment: Use of anticoccidials (such as Amprolium or Toltrazuril).
• Prevention: Improving hygiene to reduce oocyst spread, controlling litter moisture, and adjusting stocking density.

Enteritis

• Causes: Multifactorial (e.g., stress, coccidiosis, viral infections) and overgrowth of Clostridia species in the incorrect segment of the intestines, where they can form necrotic enteritis
• Treatment: Nutritional support (balanced diet) and supportive therapy; antibiotics (e.g., Amoxicillin) if Clostridium is the primary issue.

Necrotic Enteritis

• Cause: Primarily due to Clostridium perfringens overgrowth and toxin production (mainly type A).
• Symptoms: Severe intestinal necrosis, hematochezia (blood in feces), melena (dark tarry stool), anemia, and sudden death.
• Treatment: Antibiotics (e.g., penicillin and tylosin).

Other Diseases

• Trichomoniasis: Motile protozoan causing plaques in the upper GIT. Diagnosis through microscopic analysis of scrapes, treatment with Metronidazole or Carnidazole.
• Crop Disease: Includes impaction, stasis and candidiasis. Treatments include medication, fluids, and in more severe cases, surgical intervention.
• Poor Performance: Signs include uneven weight gain, runty birds, flocks not meeting weight targets, poor growth, and wasting syndrom. Address the cause.
• Gizzard Ulceration: Mild cases may be caused by trauma or foreign bodies, severe forms are often associated with adenovirus or mycotoxins. Treatment varies, but supportive care may be appropriate, depending on the cause
• Spiroonucleosis: motile protozoa that is treated with supportive care and antibiotic Oxytetracycline.
• Histomoniasis (Blackhead): Motile protozoa that needs to have oregano extract used as treatment to reduce chances of the disease.
• Worms (Heterakis gallinarum, Ascaridia sp., Capillaria sp., Tapeworms): Parasites affecting different parts of the digestive system with differing life cycles. Treatment can vary and relies on diagnostic tools like FEC (fecal egg counts) to select the appropriate medication (e.g., flubendazole, praziquantel, ivermectin).

Nursing

• On-farm practices for managing diseases in poultry. Examples include interventions in improving the environment; including litter temperature, appetite, feeding schedules, hygiene, monitoring, and managing diseases.
• Pet practices (household settings): Address similar aspects as on the farm, including supportive care, appropriate diagnostic and veterinary interventions.

Egg-Bound

• Definition: A rare but often misused term; usually linked to salpingitis.
• Diagnostic Tools: Radiographs and ultrasounds can identify the condition.
• Treatment: Generally involves anesthesiology, pain management, surgical palpation, draining of the egg (using a needle for puncturing the egg), and in severe cases, surgical intervention.
• Antibiotics: Use only if there is associated infection.

Peritonitis

• Description: Infection of the abdominal cavity.
• Clinical Signs: Potential for fever, swollen abdomen, and fluid accumulation in the coelom.
• Treatment: NSAIDs (e.g., meloxicam), antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin, tetracyclines, or TMP-SMZ based on sensitivity), depending on the underlying cause.

PME Results (Marek's Disease)

• Description: Images of poultry disease investigation and post-mortem examination results (visible organs) of the disease.

Coelomic Disorders

• General picture of the condition, from various angles; external examination of poultry.

Approach to Liver Disease

• General Strategies:
  • Post-mortem examinations (PME) - bacterial cultures, histopathology, organ samples (PCR for virus isolation); if not possible, palpation examination, blood tests, and diagnostic imagery (e.g., ultrasound) can be used to reach a diagnosis.
  • Identify causes of liver disease
  • Treatment of liver disease depends on the exact cause and may include antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin or tetracycline), supportive care, or treatment of the underlying virus (e.g., using oregano extract for histomoniasis or vaccinating future flocks).

Disease Prevention

• General Strategies:
  • Implement biosecurity measures to prevent disease spread.
  • Monitor and manage environmental factors (e.g., litter moisture and temperature).

References

• Includes a list of various resources for further study (links and specific articles/reports).