Pulmonary aspergillosis in broiler chickens: A case description from a private poultry farm in Lviv Region, Ukraine
Abstract
Aspergillosis is one of the most common mycotic infections affecting birds, mammals, and humans. It is recorded worl d wide and causes substantial losses to enterprises. The disease develops predominantly following the entry of Aspergillus spores into the body of animals and birds, and may run an acute or chronic course. Important factors in disease development include litter or grain contaminated with fungi, poor ventilation in livestock facilities, failure to comply with veterinary and sanitary rules when preparing premises for chick placement, and increased stocking density, which increases the likelihood of infection. The intensity of infection and clinical manifestations depend on the host’s defensive capacity, pathogen virulence, and the nu m ber of spores entering the body. This article describes a case of pulmonary aspergillosis in 4-day-old Cobb-500 broiler chicks, in which increased mortality was observed over 10 days and exceeded 5%. The affected chicks were inactive, lay mostly with the neck extended forward, had labored breathing, and did not consume feed or water. During necropsy, solitary and multiple miliary greyish -yellow granulomatous nodules were detected, localized on the air sacs and within the pulmonary parenchyma. In most chicks, the air sacs were thickened and, in some instances, covered with fibrinous deposits with a grey-white and greenish-grey mold-like surface. Histological examination of the air sacs and lungs revealed massive accumulations of septate hyphae , arranged chaotically and invading the tissues. Septate hyphae with dichotomous branching had a clearly defined cell wall and, by morph o logical features, corresponded to fungi of the genus Aspergillus . Occasional conidiophores were also detected within the hyphal masses, indicating active sporulation of the agent. In the lungs of broiler chicks, multiple granulomatous lesions were identified; centrally they contained septate , dichotomously branching hyphae that invasively extended into the surrounding parenchyma and vessels. At the periphery of granulomas , heterophilic-macrophagic infiltration and formation of multinucleated giant cells were characteristically present. Grocott staining confirmed the presence of numerous hyphae typical of Aspergillus spp.References
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