Wu Huajun Yuan Biao Liu Jianxiang Ren Wen
I. Disease Occurrence
Chickens aged 8 days at a large poultry farm in Jiangdu District of this city showed depression, open-mouth panting, increased water intake, diarrhea in the later stage, and rapid weight loss. Some sick chickens developed swelling of one or both eyelids, with small, caseous, spherical secretions forming beneath the eyelid membranes. A small number of chickens died, among other symptoms.
II. Epidemiology
Contaminated litter, soil, feed, and air are transmission media that cause this disease to spread; infection can occur through the respiratory and digestive tracts. Large indoor temperature fluctuations, poor ventilation, high stocking density, dark and damp conditions, and malnutrition are factors that can trigger an outbreak of this disease.
III. Clinical symptoms
Clinical examination may show that some chickens in the flock are depressed, have reduced appetite and increased water consumption, lose weight rapidly, keep their heads tucked in and eyes closed, have elevated body temperature, ruffled feathers, drooping wings, raise their heads and open their mouths, and exhibit labored breathing accompanied by rales. They may shake their heads and snort; sometimes there is serous nasal discharge. Some sick birds develop ataxia and neurological signs, followed by diarrhea in the late stage.
IV. Diagnosis
Cut up a nodule from the lung or air sac and place it on a glass slide. Add 1 drops of physiological saline and examine under high magnification. Aspergillus hyphae can be seen in the lung nodule. Septate hyphae, characteristic conidiophores, and spores can be seen in the air sac nodule.
Based on the laboratory diagnosis together with the clinical disease presentation and necropsy findings, the diagnosis was aspergillosis.
Five Treatment
First, stop feeding moldy or spoiled feed, and disinfect the bedding by spraying it with peracetic acid at 0.5%. Keep the flock warm and ensure ventilation at night to prevent the chickens from piling up. At the same time, add nystatin at 400 grams/ton to the feed, and add 5% glucose and 0.4% vitamin C to the water, given 1 times each morning and evening. Give the whole flock amoxicillin in the drinking water daily. After 5 days, deaths had basically stopped, and feed intake and general condition had improved significantly.
Six Summary
Aspergillus is widely distributed in nature and has many species, large populations, and strong reproductive capacity. Most Aspergillus species grow vigorously at room temperature. Animals are susceptible to poisoning if they ingest feed containing aflatoxins.
To prevent this disease, first, ensure feed quality: check the quality when purchasing corn, and do not feed moldy feed. Second, maintain good environmental hygiene: provide clean drinking water, clean frequently, and disinfect regularly, while also increasing lighting and ventilation. During humid, rainy seasons, half the therapeutic dose of nystatin can also be mixed into the feed. Adding copper sulfate to drinking water can purify the water and has some effect in preventing fungal infections in poultry. During treatment, be sure to prevent and control secondary infections such as those caused by E. coli, and also pay attention to preventing and controlling viral diseases such as infectious bursal disease.