Table 1.
Macroscopic lesions and isolation of E. cecorum (EC) from examined A broilers
| dph B | Number of broilers | Macroscopic lesions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omphalitis | Pericarditis | Hepatitis/hepatic necrosis | Femoral head necrosis | Vertebral osteomyelitis | EC positive animals C | ||
| 3 | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1D/4 |
| 6 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/3 |
| 10 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/6 |
| 13 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/5 |
| 17 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4/9 |
| 20 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/9 |
| 24 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 4/11 |
| 27 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3/6 |
| 31 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2/6 |
AAt days 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27 and 31 post hatch all dead and moribund broilers from the flock were submitted for necropsy. BDays post hatch. CEC positive animals/total number of broilers subjected to bacteriological analysis. Samples of heart, liver and spleen from broilers with pathological changes were collected and processed for bacteriological examination. At 3 dph, heart, liver and yolk sac were collected. At 27 and 31 dph, an additional swab sampling of the vertebral column was done. Broilers with EC isolation from at least one organ were considered EC positive. DIsolated from yolk sac.