Fowl typhiod in three commercial poultry farms in Zaria, Nigeria: Case Reports

Abstract

Fowl typhoid in three commercial poultry farms in Zaria, Nigeria, is reported. The first farm containing 30,000 battery caged shaver and Babcock layers aged 35-7 weeks, recorded 2.6% mortality. The second consisting of 2,500, Babcock layers on deep litter and aged 21 to 22 weeks, recorded 48.0% mortality. The farm also had 2,000, 9-week-old broilers with no mortality. The third farm with 2,500 Harco layers on deep litter aged 60 weeks recorded a 4.6% mortality rate. At necropsy grossly enlarged dark-greenish liver, enlarged mottled spleen and irregularly shaped haemorrhagic ovarian follicles were seen. Myocarditis, proventriculitis, hepatitis, enteritis and pneumonia were observed microscopically. Salmonella gallinarum was consistently isolated, in pure culture from the liver and bile. Liver and bile are good sources for the isolation of S. gallinarum for diagnostic purposes.

KEY WORDS: Fowl typhoid, commercial, farms

Nigerian Veterinary Journal Vol.24(2) 2003: 63-67