SALMONELLOSIS

o  S a lm o ne llo s is is c a us e d b y S a lm o ne lla a nd

characterized by early chick mortality with necrosis and
haemorrhage in liver, heart and spleen and enlarged
bronze coloured liver with focal or diffuse necrosis,
marbled spleen and/or ophoritis and salpingitis in
adults.

Etiology
o  Salmonella enteritidis var. Galinarum (S. Galinarum)
o  G-, rod, non lactose fermenter
o  White small colonies on MLA and pink on BGA

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Pathogenesis
o  Transmitted horizontally through feed and water
o  Vertically through ovary from hen to chicks
o  Bacteria adhere to intestinal epithelial cells
o  Adherence with type I fimbriae and haemagglutinin
o  Virulence due to mucosal invasiveness & diarrhoea
o  In vertical transmission, the organism infects eggs
o  Yolk is source of infection to embryo and chicks

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Characteristic symptoms
o  Diarrhoea
o  Soiling of cloaca with semisolid cheesy material
o  Early chick mortality
o  Huddling near the source of heat
o  Cyanosis of comb and wattle in adults

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 SALMONELLOSIS

Macroscopic features
o  Chicks
n  Focal or diffused necrosis in liver
n  Semisolid cheesy material in cloaca
n  Unabsorbed yolk

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Macroscopic features
o  Adults
n  Copper colour enlarged
liver with necrosis
n  Enlarged, mottled
spleen,catarrhal enteritis

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o  Necrotic lesions on heart, ovaries/ testes

congested

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 SALMONELLOSIS
Microscopic features
o  Necrotic hepatitis
o  Necrosis in myocardium with
infiltration of lymphocytes,
heterophils and macrophages
o  Congestion and suppuration in
ovary, testes, oviduct
o  G- organisms demonstrable in
central necrotic areas

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Diagnosis
o  Symptoms and lesions
o  Isolation of organism from heart blood and/or
liver
o  Gram’s staining of smears for demonstration of
salmonella organism

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