Colibacillosis

Colibacillosis

(E.coli infections in poultry)

 Etiology Colibacillosis

Localized or systemic infection

♦ Entirely or partly by Escherichia coli
♦ Gram -Ve, non-spore forming, non-acid
fast, motile bacillus
♦ O (173), K (74), H (53) and F (17)
antigens recognized
♦ Most common serotypes are O1, O2, O35 and
O
Diseases Caused by E.coli Colibacillosis
♦ Colisepticaemia
♦ Yolk sac infection / Omphalitis/Mushy Chick Dis.
♦ Air-sac disease (CRD with E.coli - CCRD)
♦ Egg peritonitis
♦ Arthritis/Synovitis / Osteomyelitis
♦ Panophthalmitis
♦ Coligranuloma (Hjarre's disease)
♦ Swollen Head Syndrome
♦ Avian cellulitis
♦ Salpingitis
 1. Colisepticaemia Colibacillosis

Source and spread of infection

♦ Ubiquitous in nature - Cosmopolitan
distribution.
♦ Common inhabitant in the intestinal tract of
poultry.
♦ Feed, water, litter, faecal material, dust
particles inside poultry shed, rodent
droppings are the source of infection.
♦ Totally horizontal spread. No vertical
spread.
 Colibacillosis

Pathogenesis (Route of infection)

♦ In poultry it is respiratory infection.

♦ Through inhalation of dust particles and
droplets of affected birds.
♦ Incubation period is short.
♦ Predisposing factors are very important.
 Colibacillosis

Predisposing factors
♦ Live vaccine virus - LaSota, IB
♦ Damaged skin or mucosal barrier
♦ Ammonia, dust particles
♦ Poor ventilation
♦ Overcrowding
♦ Mycoplasma infection
♦ Stresses of various nature
♦ Immunosuppression
♦ Viral respiratory diseases like RD, IB etc.
 Colibacillosis

Incidence
♦ Young one are more susceptible than adults
♦ Broiler chicks are more prone than layer
chicks
♦ Broilers of 3-6 weeks are more susceptible
♦ Mortality from few birds to as high as 50%
 Colibacillosis

Clinical signs

• Not specific
• Respiratory rales
• Nasal discharge
• Conjunctivitis
 Colibacillosis

Post-mortem lesions

♦ Fibrinous pericarditis and fibrinous perihepatitis.

♦ Trachea highly congested with presence of white

cheesy material.

♦ Air sacs - cloudy, frothy, thickened and in long

standing condition filled with cheesy material.
 Diagnosis Colibacillosis

♦ Clinical signs
♦ Post-mortem lesions
♦ Cultural isolation
 Prevention
♦ Pelleted feed
♦ Avoid animal protein sources in feed
♦ Nutritionally balanced feed
♦ Maintain immune status of birds
♦ Use of water sanitizer
♦ Avoid dusty litter and excessive ammonia
♦ Procure Mycoplasma free chicks
♦ Prevent rolling of vaccine virus
♦ Use enteropathic vaccine strains.
♦ Protect chicks against IB, ND, AI, CRD, IBD etc.
♦ Follow All In All Out Management
 Colibacillosis

Treatment

♦ After drug sensitivity test

♦ Fluroquinolone group antibiotics
♦ Use antibiotics in combination

Vaccination
♦ No satisfactory vaccine
 Colibacillosis
2.Yolk sac infection
♦ Disease of young chicks
♦ Mortality from 3rd day, peaks on 5th, 6th days and
then subside.
♦ More in chicks from deep litter parents.
♦ Mixed infection of E.coli, B.subtilis, Staph aureus
♦ Faecal contamination of eggs - most important
source of infection.
♦ No vertical transmission
♦ Chicks often have Omphalitis
♦ Low brooding temperature or fasting increases
incidence
 Colibacillosis

Post-mortem lesion
♦ Swollen abdomen
♦ Congested or haemorrhagic, enlarged,
unabsorbed yolk with curdled appearance
and foul smell.
♦ Sometimes yolk sac peritonitis.
 Colibacillosis

Treatment and Control

♦ Antibiotics are ineffective
♦ Clean hatching eggs collection and proper
fumigation.
♦ Rearing of parents in cages.
 Colibacillosis

3.Arthritis / Synovitis / Osteomyelitis

Alone or with Mycoplasma and reo virus, E.coli
produces arthritis and Synovitis.
♦ Sequelae to septicemia
♦ Spondylitis, progressive paresis and paralysis.

4. Panopthalmitis
E.coli infection of anterior chamber of eye results
into pus formation.
♦ Complete destruction of retina.
♦ Eye become whitish.
Panophthalmitis
 Colibacillosis
5. Coligranuloma (Hjarre's disease)
♦ Uncommon disease
♦ Granuloma in liver, caeca, duodenum, mesentry
but not spleen.
6. Swollen head syndrome (SHS)
♦ Acute to sub acute cellulitis involving the
periorbital and adjacent subcutaneous tissues of
the head.
♦ E.coli, unidentified corona virus - associated with
infection.
♦ Avian pneumovirus, IB virus, poor ventilation,
high NH3 level - predisposing factors.
♦ Periorbital inflammation is typically seen early in
Coligranuloma
 7. Avian cellulitis
Colibacillosis
Chronic skin disease affecting the abdomen of
broiler chickens.
♦ Characterized by sheets of caseated, heterophilic
exudate in subcutaneous tissues.
♦ Lesions in the skin between thigh and sternum.
♦ Important cause of condemnation.
8. Salpingitis
♦ Entry of coliform bacteria from cloaca may cause
salpingitis.
♦ Left abdominal air-sac infected with E.coli -
female may develop salpingitis.
♦ Characterized by large caseous mass in a dilated,
thin walled oviduct.
 Colibacillosis

9. Air-sac disease
♦ E.coli infects respiratory tract of birds
concurrently infected with IBV or NDV or
vaccine strains or Mycoplasma.
♦ Economic losses - mortality, morbidity,
condemnation.
♦ Infected air-sacs - thickened, often caseous
exudate on the respiratory surface.
10. Egg peritonitis
♦ In laying hens - mortality, fibrin and free yolk in
peritoneal cavity.
♦ Ascending infection through the oviduct.