Approach to coelamic disorders associated with the GIT and the liver

Question 1

What are the clinical signs of coccidiosis?

Answer 1

Hunched, tail down, fluffed up
Penguin stance
Oral lesions
Crop distension
Regurgitation
Emaciation and cachexia
Abnormal droppings
Reduced activity and behaviour

Question 2

How do you approach disease in commercial birds?

Answer 2

Full intestinal inspection to localise the lesion
Further investigations= microscopy of content and intestinal wall scrape
Histology
Electron microscopy
Virus isolation

Question 3

How do you approach disease in pet birds?

Answer 3

• Clinical examination including
  palpation of crop and abdomen to
  localise the lesion
• Faecal smears [FEC, FOC,
  Microscopy (coccidian,
  spirochaetes), Gram stain
  (clostridia)]
• Faecal culture (Salmonella
  Gallinarum, Salmonella Pullorum
  or Brachyspira species)
• Biochemistry/Haematology
• PM if died

Question 4

What are the two types of diarrhoea you can find?

Answer 4

Intestinal diarrhoea
Caecal diarrhoea

Question 5

What does trichomonas cause?

Answer 5

Motile protozoa
causes plaques in the upper GIT
need to perform scrapes and microscopy

Question 6

What causes mild gizzard ulceration?

Answer 6

Trauma, Foreign Bodies

Question 7

What causes severe gizzard ulceration?

Answer 7

Adenovirus
Mycotoxins

Question 8

What is coccidiosis?

Answer 8

Non-motile protozoa - Eimeria
Costs industry £500million

Question 9

What is the summary of the coccidia lifecycle?

Answer 9

Oocyst in faeces is initially noninfectious.
Infectious in 2 days with ideal
humidity, temperature and
oxygen.
Progeny released by killing caecal
intestinal cell at each stage.
1 ingested oocyst can give rise to
millions of progeny in 7 days

Question 10

How would you treat coccidia?

Answer 10

Amprolium
Toltrazuril
Supportive = temp, feed, vitamins, electrolytes

Question 11

How would you prevent coccidia?

Answer 11

Coccidiostats
Live vaccination (5 or 8 strains)
Hygiene – reduce carry-over of
oocysts between crops
Control litter moisture
Reduce stocking density

Question 12

What is enteritis?

Answer 12

MULTIFACTORIAL, including stress, coccidiosis, enteric viruses e.g. reovirus, rotavirus etc.
Clostridia overgrowth (should be in caeca not jejunum!)
Can develop into necrotic enteritis if not managed.

Question 13

What is the treatment of enteritis?

Answer 13

• Balanced diet
• Nursing – see slide
• Amoxycillin if Clostridial

Question 14

What causes necrotic enteritis?

Answer 14

• Clostridium perfringens
  ubiquitous, commensal (caeca)
• Multifactorial
• Acute overgrowth and toxin
  formation (mainly C.perfringens
  type A)

Question 15

What are the clinical signs of necrotic enteritis?

Answer 15

→ Severe necrosis of mucosa
→ Haematochezia, melena,
anaemia, “sudden death”

Question 16

How do you treat necrotic enteritis?

Answer 16

Penicillin, Tylosin

Question 17

What is spironucleosis?

Answer 17

Motile protozoa

Question 18

How would you treat spironucleosis?

Answer 18

None, Oxytetracycline
to control secondary bacteria
infection.
Electrolytes
Supportive

Question 19

What are the signs of histomoniasis?

Answer 19

sudden death, black head

Question 20

What does egg bound mean?

Answer 20

Usually salpingitis

Question 21

What is the treatment for salpingitis?

Answer 21

GA, analgesia, cloacal palpation,
using a 18G needle penetrate the egg
and drain it to reduce likelihood of
infection. Break the egg up by forceps
and remove it gradually. She is likely to
pass pieces of egg in the next few days

Question 22

What are the clinical signs of peritonitis?

Answer 22

Sick hen with no temperature and no
abdominal distension, not emaciated
and clear fluid on coelomcentesis