Candidiasis is a fungal disease of the digestive tract caused by Candida albicans. It is characterized by the formation of white plaques on the digestive tract mucosa, leading to inflammation of the mucosa. Candida infection is caused by pathogenic fungi of the genus Candida albicans, which usually inhabit the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive tracts of chickens. The carriage rate in healthy chickens can reach 61%. When the animal is malnourished, its resistance is reduced, feed is improperly formulated, and antibiotics, hormones, or immunosuppressants are used continuously.
Clinical signs: Chickens with candidiasis generally show no characteristic symptoms that are readily recognizable. Affected chickens may show poor growth, stunted development, lethargy, ruffled feathers, and reduced feed and water intake. Once a systemic infection causes complete loss of appetite, death occurs after about two days.
Lesions are mostly found in the digestive tract, with lesions of the crop being the most obvious and common. In acute cases, visual examination shows a thickened crop mucosa with white, round, raised ulcers on its surface, resembling a small amount of coagulated milk sprinkled over it.