Chicken cecum hepatitis, also known as blackhead disease, is caused by the trichomonas of the blackhead tissue of the deformed flagella family, is a kind of protozoal disease of chickens and turkeys, its main feature lesions are inflamed and enlarged cecal and liver necrosis, the surface is scattered with round, green or yellow-white necrotic ulcer foci of varying sizes, called "cecum hepatitis", because the crown of the sick chicken crown is dark red, so it is also called "blackhead disease".
1. Transmission route
The route of transmission of the disease is mainly the digestive tract. Sick chickens may excrete feces that may contain large amounts of heterodoxic nematode eggs, which often contain larvae of trichomoniasis, which become infected when these excrement contaminate feed, drinking water, chicken coops and playground floors and are ingested by healthy chickens. In addition, insects such as earthworms, flies, and crickets can also mechanically carry insects. The seasonal occurrence of this disease is not obvious, but it occurs more often in the warm and wet seasons of spring and summer. Poor health management conditions, excessive crowding of chickens, unclean chicken coops and sports fields, poor ventilation in the house, lack of light, and poor feed quality are the main factors inducing this disease.
2. Clinical symptoms
The susceptibility age of chickens is 2 weeks to 4 months old, the incubation period is 7-12 days, and adult chickens are mostly insect carriers with hidden infections. The younger the age of onset, the higher the mortality rate. Sick chickens are depressed, have decreased appetite, loose feathers, droopy wings, and sleepiness with their eyes closed.
Pull pale yellow or pale green thin stool, and in severe cases, the stool is bloody. In the later stage of the disease, due to blood circulation disorders, the crown hair is dark red, so it is called "blackhead disease".
3. Pathological changes
Lesions are confined to the cecum and liver, and there are no obvious lesions in other organs. Liver lesions are typical, the whole liver is enlarged, the liver surface has a round or irregular gray-red or yellow-green ulcer foci, the ulcer foci are centrally depressed, the edges are slightly raised, and sometimes the ulcer foci are connected to each other to form a liver ulcer area. One or both sides of the cecum are enlarged and thickened, the intestinal contents are dry and secretly knotted, and the coagulated embolus that becomes a cheese-like coagulation plug is blocked in the intestine, and the embolus is cut horizontally, and the visible section is concentric layered, and the center is black and red coagulated blood, and the outside is wrapped with gray or yellowish exudates and necrotic substances. Necrotizing inflammation of the cecum mucosa can spread to the muscular layer and serous membrane in severe cases, perforation of ulcers, peritonitis and intestinal adhesions.
2. Autopsy symptoms. Autopsy of critically ill and dead chickens, lesions are mainly manifested in the liver and cecum. Hepatomegaly, with yellow or yellow-green or even brown round needle tips on the surface and mung bean to soybean size, central depression, button-like necrotic blanks with edge bulges, scattered or densely spread across the entire surface of the liver, ecclesiastema, both sides of the cecum filled with blood or coagulated blood clots, severe intestinal contents coagulated, the appearance is sausage-like, when cut, the cut surface is concentric circles, the center is a black-red coagulation clot, the peripheral gray-white or center is all yellow-white, gray-white cheese-like embolism, the intestinal wall thickens, hardens, and loses elasticity. Is chicken cecum hepatitis contagious? It can be passed on to other healthy chickens. The disease is mainly infected by the digestive tract through the contamination of feed, drinking water, soil and utensils by feces excreted from sick chickens. Therefore, the chicken farm should strengthen management and do a good job in preventive measures.
Treatment options
Use the antibacterial drug [Pole Rick] + [Liver and Kidney Kang] for 4 consecutive days to improve liver function.
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