Humoral Activities of Autogenous Bacterin against Colonization of Internal Organs of Broiler Chicks by Salmonella Enterica Serovar Pullorum

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effects of autogenous bacterin against Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum isolated from different poultry feeds in Ihiala local Government Area in Anambra state. Different types of feeds were cultured and screened for the presence of Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum using pour plate method. The colonies generated from the primary isolation were sub-cultured, characterized and identified using their colony description, morphological and biochemical characteristics. The pathogenic potentials of the organism on broiler chicks were investigated by challenging the chick orally using 0.5ml of the inoculum (10⁸cells/ml). The infected chicks were kept under observation 14 days for pathological signs, mortalities, and gross lesions. The protective effect of autogenous bacterin was investigated using in vivo method. The study revealed that Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum was significantly (P≥0.05) seen more in feed type A 4(40%) compared to feed B 1(10%), feed C 2(20%) and feed D 3(30%). There was pathological lesion like perihepatitis, pericarditis, haemorrhage, congestion, spleenomegaly and entercolitis. The serological investigation revealed an improvement in the titer of antibodies after vaccination treatment. The in vivo activity showed that the locally prepared autogenous bacterin was effective in reducing the pathological changes observed from infected non-protected chicks. Thus this study showed that a dose of locally prepared autogenous bacterin is effective and safe method of preventing Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum infection in broiler chicks.

Keywords: Salmonella, Pullorum, autogenous, bacterin