Vol. 10, Issue 10, Part E (2025)

Author(s): R Bharathi, T Mohanapriya, S Subapriya, B Dhivya, C Theophilus Anandkumar and A Elango

Abstract: The current study investigated a desi chicken farm in Tamil Nadu, with 40 numbers of six-month-old chickens. The birds were lethargic, off-feeding with diarrhoea, and their mortality rate was 37.5%. Necropsy examination revealed that the lumen had many tiny tapeworms and that the duodenal mucosa was haemorrhagic. The caecal lumen contained haemorrhagic contents with small roundworms. The intestinal contents were examined using sedimentation and flotation methods, and a histopathological examination was performed on the caecum. Nematode eggs and coccidial oocysts were discovered in the birds on necropsy examination. The tapeworms from the duodenum were identified as Amoebotaenia sp., while the caecal contents contained thick, smooth-shelled eggs and adult worms of Heterakis gallinarum, confirmed through microscopic examination. Additionally, unsporulated coccidial oocysts were detected in the caecal contents. The presence of haemorrhagic caecal contents, typical lesions and micrometric measurements of the oocysts indicated caecal coccidiosis caused by Eimeria tenella. Histopathological examination of the caecum revealed various developmental stages of E. tenella, including schizonts and oocysts, within the epithelial and subepithelial layers. This study confirmed the current infection of Amoebotaenia sp., H. gallinarum and E. tenella parasites, which caused mortality in desi chickens. The flock was treated with 0.2% sulphadimidine in drinking water for three days to address endoparasites and coccidiosis and to deworm using 30 mg/kg body weight of mebendazole to reduce the mortality.

DOI: 10.22271/veterinary.2025.v10.i10e.2649