Molecular identification of bacterial pathogen in suspected cases of respiratory tract infection from chicken

Abstract

The respiratory illness is characterized by weakness, gasping, pump-handled respiration, dyspnea, mucous discharge, mortality, sinus swelling, facial edema, tracheitis, exudative pneumonia, pleuritis, pericarditis, sinusitis, decrease in egg production and poor egg quality (Zorman et al., 2000; Canal et al. 2005). Air sacculitis, higher mortality rates, higher medical expenses, and decreased egg production are the most common outcomes of respiratory illnesses in poultry. Total of 52 tissue samples of lungs and tracheae were collected from 52 birds suffering from respiratory tract infections during the period from December 2022 to March 2023. Out of 52 tissue samples, 98.08% tissue samples were found positive for bacterial pathogen isolation, while 1.92% wound swab samples were negative. Molecular detection of bacteria from tissue samples 98.07%, 59.61%, 9.61%, 7.69%, 3.84% and 1.92% isolated E. coli, Staphylococcus spp., M. gallisepticum, O. rhinotracheale, A. paragallinarum, and M. synoviae respectively. In this study, none of the tissue samples detected B. avium, P. aeruginosa, and P. multocida.