Clinico-Pathological and Bacteriological Insights into Colibacillosis in Broiler Chickens
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.4.8Keywords:
Broiler, Escherichia coli, Fibrinous pericarditis, Fibrinous perihepatitis, HistopathologyAbstract
Colibacillosis caused by Escherichia coli infection is a major bacterial disease of poultry leading to significant economic losses and potential zoonotic risk. This study investigated clinico-pathological and bacteriological aspects of the disease in broiler chickens around Patna, Bihar (India), over six months. A total of 250 suspected cases were examined through necropsy, with tissues collected for gross and histopathology. Additionally, 62 swabs (34 cloacal, 28 tracheal) and 188 organ samples were processed for bacterial isolation. Gross lesions commonly observed included fibrinous perihepatitis (57.5%) and pericarditis (52.5%), along with air sacculitis, pulmonary congestion, splenomegaly, hepatic necrosis and renal congestion. Mortality was highest in birds aged 0-2 weeks (38.1%), followed by those over 10 weeks (26.2%). Histopathology revealed hepatic degeneration and necrosis, fibrinous exudation, splenic lymphoid depletion, interstitial myocarditis and necrotizing enteritis, indicating systemic infection. Bacteriological analysis showed 101 (40.4%) samples positive for E. coli, with 59 (58.4%) confirmed through biochemical tests. The study highlights the high prevalence and systemic nature of colibacillosis, emphasizing the importance of combining pathological and bacteriological approaches for accurate diagnosis, along with improved biosecurity and management practices for effective control.
Downloads
References
Ahmad, T., Fiaz, M., Sharif, A., Nadeem, M., Rehman, S. U., Rizwan, M., & Umer, M. (2022). In vitro and in vivo evaluation of antimicrobials in Escherichia coli infection in broilers and evaluation of ciprofloxacin in induced colibacillosis. Pure and Applied Biology, 11(3), 744–754.
Choudhari, P., Ghodasara, D. J., Kabariya, D. V., Bhanderi, B. B., & Momin, S. G. (2020). Isolation, antibiogram and molecular characterization of Escherichia coli in broiler flocks. Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences & Biotechnology, 16(4), 35–39.
Dziva, F., & Stevens, M. P. (2008). Colibacillosis in poultry: Unravelling the molecular basis of virulence of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in their natural hosts. Avian Pathology, 37(4), 355–366.
Ewers, C., Li, G., Wilking, H., Kießling, S., Alt, K., Antáo, E., Laturnus, C., Diehl, I., Glodde, S., Homeier, T., Böhnke, U., Steinrück, H., Philipp, H., & Wieler, L. H. (2007). Avian pathogenic, uropathogenic, and newborn meningitis-causing Escherichia coli: How closely related are they? International Journal of Medical Microbiology, 297(3), 163–176.
Guabiraba, R., & Schouler, C. (2015). Avian colibacillosis: Still many black holes. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 362(15), fnv118.
Kabir, S. M. L. (2010). Avian colibacillosis and salmonellosis: A closer look at epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, control and public health concerns. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(1), 89–114.
Khaton, R., Haider, M. G., Paul, P. K., Das, P. M., & Hossain, M. M. (2008). Colibacillosis in commercial chickens in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Veterinarian, 25(1), 17–24.
Khatun, A., Lima, M. K. K., Rahman, S., Fahad, M. B., Hossain, K. M. M., & Khaton, R. (2025). Prevalence and pathological investigation of colibacillosis in commercial poultry farms at Rajshahi district of Bangladesh. Journal of Bio-Science, 33(1), 41–52.
Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Walsh, T., Yi, L. X., Zhang, R., et al. (2015). Emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mechanism MCR-1 in animals and human beings in China: A microbiological and molecular biological study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 16, 161–168.
Luna, L. G. (1968). Manual of Histologic Staining Methods of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Mageiros, L., Méric, G., Bayliss, S. C., Pensar, J., Pascoe, B., et al. (2021). Genome evolution and the emergence of pathogenicity in avian Escherichia coli. Nature Communications, 12, 765.
Nolan, L. K., Barnes, H. J., Vaillancourt, J., Abdul-Aziz, T., & Logue, C. M. (2013). Colibacillosis. In D. E. Swayne (Ed.), Diseases of Poultry. Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Panchal, P. P., Patel, J. M., Vihol, P. D., Raval, J. K., Patel, D. R., Danger, N., Kalyani, I. H., & Patel, N. M. (2020). Serotyping and prevalence of Escherichia coli infection in poultry of South Gujarat based on culture isolation and identification. International Journal of Current Microbiology & Applied Sciences, 9(10), 3876–3883.
Quinn, P. J., Markey, B. K., Leonard, F. C., Hartigan, P., Fanning, S., & Fitzpatrick, E. S. (2011). Veterinary Microbiology and Microbial Diseases (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Riaz, A. M., Aslam, A., Rehman, M., & Yaqub, T. (2016). Pathological investigation and molecular detection of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli serogroups in broiler birds. Journal of Veterinary Science & Technology, 7(5), 373.
Shah, S. A., Mir, M. S., Wani, B. M., Kamil, S. A., Goswami, P., Amin, U., Shafi, M., Rather, M. A., & Beigh, A. B. (2019). Pathological studies on avian pathogenic Escherichia coli infection in broilers. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 8(7), 68–73.
Srinivasan, P., Balasubramaniam, G. A., Murthy, T. G., & Balachandran, P. (2014). Pathomorphological studies of polyserositis in commercial caged layer chicken. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 7(Suppl. 1), S313–S320.
Surjagade, S., Joshi, B. P., Mathakiya, R. A., Kapadiya, B., Bansod, A. P., Jadhao, A. D., Prajapati, R., Ghodasara, D. J., Dave, C. J., & Jani, P. (2020). Mortality pattern and pathological study of Escherichia coli infection in broiler chickens. Journal of Entomology & Zoological Studies, 8(6), 867–872.
Tonu, N. S., Sufian, M. A., Sarker, S., Kamal, M. M., Rahman, M. H., & Hossain, M. M. (2011). Pathological study on colibacillosis in chickens and detection of Escherichia coli by PCR. Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 9(1), 17–25.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
