Salmonellosis In Broiler Chickens : Experimental and Spontaneous Studies

The present investigation comprised studies both on spontaneous outbreaks of salmonellosis as well as on experimental studies on salmonellosis in broiler chickens in Kashmir valley. Under the spontaneous studies, 42 outbreaks of salmonellosis were confirmed from broiler farms of Srinagar district and its adjoining areas during the period from April. 2008 to Oct, 2009. The outbreaks included 24 Fowl typhoid, 8 Paratyphoid, 3 Pullorum disease and 7 due to untypable Salmonella. Salmonella isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sparfloxacin, norfloxacin and cefixime and resistant to erythromycin, rifampicin, nalidixic acid, trimethoprim, chloramphenicol and suphamethoxazole. An overall average mortality of 7.60 per cent was observed in different Salmonella outbreaks. Under experimental studies clinical signs, mortality, gross and histopathological lesions and haematobiochemical changes were more severe and appeared earlier in intraperitoneally infected broiler chickens when compared to orally infected broiler chickens with local isolate of Salmonella Gallinarum.