The pathological changes accompanied with the infection of Eimeria in intestine of broiler in Al-Hamdania Region

Abstract

Post-mortem examination to 240 samples of intestinal tract of broiler chickes was performed to determine the intensity of coccidial infection. The case of Eimeria tenella infection, caeci showed the existence of ballowning, congestion, echymotic haemorrhages, with watery to bloody contents or caecal core development leading to caecal atrophy in chronic cases. The highest score lesions were recorded in the caeci among all intestinal parts in broilers 2.2. while the lowest scores were observed in jejunum 1.52. Histological changes were concentrated in the anterior part of the intestinal tract and characterized by hyperplasia of epithelial cells with construction of the intestinal gland cavities due to parasite proliferation. In the middle part of the tract the changes were characterized by sub epithelial thickening. The posterior part of the intestine show thickening, odema, and inflammatory cells infiltrations with epithelial coagulative necrosis. Caecal lesions show subepithelial and inter fibrilar muscular oedema with different developmental parasitic development stages within the epithelial layer lining of the intestinal glands with dropping some of the necrosed epithelial cells in the cavity and infiltration with inflammatory cells, monocytes and macrophages.