In vivo studies of Gallibacterium anatis infection in chickens

Figures & data

Table 1. Number of culture positive animals, mortality and lesions at different times post i.v. inoculation of G. anatis in chickens

			Gallibacterium culture-positive
Hours (p.i.)	Treatment	Group size	Liver	Spleen	Macroscopic lesions (number of birds)
3	5-FU	5	4	4	Mortality (2). Severe, red discolouration of fat and serous membranes (2). Severe (2) or mild (3) serohaemorrhagic exudation to the peritoneal cavity. Ecchymotic (2) or petechial (3) haemorrhages in the myocardium and the cardiac fat. Moderate splenomegaly (2)
	Saline	5	5	5	Petechial haemorrhages in the myocardium and coronary fat (5). Moderate splenomegaly (5). Mild exudation to serous membranes (5). Focal red discolouration of abdominal fat (5)
12	5-FU	8^a	8	8	Mortality (8). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly (8). Pronounced serohaemorrhagic exudation on all serous membranes (8). Extensive haemorrhages on the serosal surface of the proventriculus (8). Markedly diffuse necrosis of liver and spleen including texture changes (8). Acute bursitis presternalis (4)
	Saline	5	4	4	Extensive serohaemorrhagic exudation from all serous membranes (5). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly (5). Petechial haemorrhages in the myocardium and cardiac fat (5). Multifocal necrosis of liver and spleen, texture close to normal (5). Acute haemorrhagic bursitis presternalis (3)
24	5-FU	2	2	2	Mortality (1). Diffuse, red discolouration and pronounced serohaemorrhagic exudation from serous membranes (1). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly (2). Petechial haemorrhages in the myocardium and the cardiac fat (1). Pale-coloured liver with necrosis and texture changes (2). Multifocal necroses in the spleen (1)
	Saline	5	5	5	Moist serous membranes (5). Petechial haemorrhages in the coronary fat (5).Pale liver with changes in texture (5). Multifocal pin-point necrosis in the spleen and pronounced splenomegaly (5)
3	5-FU	5	0	2	Haemorrhages at the site of injection
	Saline	5	0	0	Haemorrhages at the site of injection
12	5-FU	5	3^b	2^b	Diffuse fibrinous perihepatitis (4). Purulent peritonitis with localization ventrally corresponding to the inoculation site, but with a tendency to involve to the entire peritoneum (4). No macroscopic lesions (1)
	Saline	5	0	0	Local purulent peritonitis at the site of inoculation (4). No macroscopic lesions (1)
24	5-FU	5	0	0	Diffuse purulent peritonitis (1). Local haemorrhages in the peritoneal fat at the site of injection (2). No macroscopic lesions (2)
	Saline	5	0	0	Splenomegaly with multifocal greyish pint-point foci (5). Diffuse perihepatitis (1)
^a Only five birds should have been killed at this time but eight were severely affected and were killed at 5 to 6 h p.i.
^b In total 4/5 birds were culture-positive in the spleen, the liver or in both organs.

Figure 1. 1A: The spleen from an intravenously inoculated and heterophil-depleted chicken, 12 h p.i. The splenic penicilium arteriole (thick arrow) surrounded by ellipsoids filled with degranulated heterophils, eosinophilic aggregates and proteinaceus fluid (thin arrow) (HE stain). 1B: The spleen section (as 1A) demonstrating a signal distribution corresponding to the eosinophilic aggregates observed in 1A showing microcolonies of Gallibacterium (FISH). 1C: The liver from an i.p. inoculated and heterophil-depleted chicken, 12 h p.i. Blood-filled sinousoids and a thick perihepatic layer of pus (arrow) including Gallibacterium and erythrocytes (FISH). 1D: The liver from an i.p. inoculated and heterophil-depleted chicken, 12 h p.i. Single cells (thin arrow) and microcolonies (thick arrow) of Gallibacterium visualized intracapsularly and subcapsularly (FISH).