What is necrotic enteritis?

necrotic enteritis is an infectious intestinal disease found in chicken flocks of broiler. This is caused by bacteria found in dirt, soil, stools and to some extent in intestinal tractions of healthy chickens. Since the disease can spread rapidly, there may be significant financial loss from the focus among the flocks of broilers.

bacteria responsible for the cause of this type of broiler disease are called Clostridium Perfringens. These are anaerobic bacteria, which means it does not require oxygen to survive. Bacteria must mutate into toxic form to cause enteritis. One complexity of the disease is that it can be caused by a number of different types of Clostridium Perfringens bacteria.

First, the presence of necrotic enteritis may not be obvious. Early symptoms of the disease include diarrhea and lethargy. As this proceeds, birds can show depression, damaged feathers, reduce feed frequency or stop all together. May stop growing due to poor sweat absorptionRavy damaged intestines. Eventually the birds die of infection.

Analysis of the intestinal tract of an infected bird reveals a serious swelling, distance from gas and lesion. A dark brown, pungent fluid will be present in the small intestine. In its acute form, death may occur in days. In other forms, the decline may take a month, which makes these forms much more dangerous for a flock. Before the infection is identified, many birds will infect it and the financial consequences of loss can be significant.

There are a number of factors that can increase the likelihood that the bird will take necrotic enteritis. One of the most common causes is the composition of the bird's diet. The feed, which consists mainly of cereals or by -products such as fish food, is more similar to leading to outbreaks than vegetarian feed. Oblisory grains, including barley and rye, have a high fiber content that flocks of broilers cannot digest, which is more susceptibleintestinal environment more susceptible to bacterial growth.

Because the outbreaks of necrotic enteritis are so expensive for the agricultural industry, their avoidance is very important. Many flocks of broilers are routinely fed antibiotics with their feed, while the feed itself is more carefully selected to reduce the amount of animal by -products and unstable grains. Strict hygienic procedures are enforced in the area of ​​housing areas of flock of broilers to prevent the entry and spread of infection. Housing temperature is also monitored because warm, humid conditions can help proliferation of bacteria.