Prevalence and Clinicopathological Investigation of Necrotic Enteritis at Rajshahi District in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background and Objective: Necrotic enteritis (NE) has increased in occurrence and severity over the years. The re-emergence of necrotic enteritis has been the most significant threat for the poultry industry. It is one of the most common and economically devastating bacterial diseases in terms of performance, welfare and mortality. So, the present research work was designed to determine the prevalence with a clinicopathological investigation of necrotic enteritis in commercial broiler and Sonali chicken (the common breeds for meat purpose in Bangladesh) at Rajshahi District (the Barind Tract) in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 (260 Sonali (Fayoumi × RIR) and 250 Broiler (Cobb 500) birds from 10 different commercial poultry farms were used to conduct the present study. The diagnosis of NE was based on history, clinical signs characteristic gross lesions and histopathological findings. Results: The overall prevalence of necrotic enteritis was 7.84 % in chickens, though the incidence rate varied from farms to farms ranging from 4.0 – 11.67%. The incidence of necrotic enteritis was almost 1.5 times in broiler chickens (9.6%) than in Sonali chickens (6.2%). The incidence of necrotic enteritis was varied with season showing peak occurrence in winter season (11.67%), and the lowest incidence was in summer season (3.2%). The major clinical signs observed were severe depression, diarrhoea (shooting type), ruffled feathers, and sudden death. The striking necropsy findings were markedly thickened enteric mucosa covered by tan-orange pseudo-membranes often referred to as a “Turkish towel” in appearance with haemorrhages occasionally and ballooning of intestine with foul smelled gas. Enterohistopathological findings included the coagulative necrosis, increased cellular infiltration in lamina propria, haemorrhage, congestion, disorganization of structure. Conclusion: The study concludes that investigation of NE in commercial chickens based on clinical signs, necropsy and enterohistopathological findings helps to determine the prevalence of NE and also help to adopt prevention and control strategies.