Histomoniasis outbreak in free-range chickens in semiarid Paraíba, Brazil

Araújo, Josinaldo Lopes; Olinda, Robério Gomes; Frade, Maria Talita Soares; Maia, Lisanka Ângelo; Dantas, Antônio Flávio Medeiros

doi:10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n1p307

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Alguns autores consideram essas lesões no tecido hepático como patognomônicas da doença [30]. As lesões histopatológicas observadas no caso relatado foram previamente relatadas em pavão [7], frangos caipiras [1] e codorna japonesa [11].…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…O agente etiológico da histomoníase é o protozoário anaeróbico Histomonas meleagridis [7,16,22,30]. A enfermidade apresenta ocorrência mundial e afeta inúmeras espécies de aves, entre elas galinhas [1,6], faisões [23], perdizes chukar [24], ema (Rhea americana) [9], pavão [23,30] e peru [30], sendo esta última a espécie com maior índice de morbidade e mortalidade à doença [12,15]. Apesar de afetar galinhas, aves dessa espécie podem atuar como reservatórios do protozoário, sendo consideradas hospedeiras naturais, por não apresentarem sinais clínicos [25,30].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…Ainda, foi relatada em um pavão indiano leucístico (Pavo cristatus) no sul do Brasil [23] e, em perus, no Rio de Janeiro [3]. No semi-árido paraibano, a doença foi descrita em um surto em frangos caipiras [1].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

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Histomoniasis in Peacock (Pavo cristatus) in the Potiguar Semiarid

Sousa

Oliveira

Júnior

et al. 2021

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Histomoniasis is a disease caused by Histomonas meleagridis, a flagellated protozoan that can cause severe necrotizing hepatitis and typhlitis in several bird species. The disease has a cosmopolitan distribution. In experimental infection, peacocks (Pavo spp.) showed susceptibility to histomoniasis, however there are few reports on natural histomoniasis in this species. In northeastern Brazil, reports about its occurrence in avian species are scarce and nonexistent in peacocks. Therefore, this report aims to describe the epidemiological and clinicopathological aspects of a histomoniasis case in a peacock (Pavo cristatus) in the Brazilian semiarid region.Case: A 3-month-old male peacock with a history of apathy and anorexia was attended in the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró, RN, Brazil. The animal was raised extensively in a farm without basic sanitary measures, also with a history of living with animals of different species. After clinical examination, in which intense apathy and weight loss were confirmed, the bird was submitted to emergency therapeutic measures, however there was no clinical improvement and the bird died. At necropsy, intense diffuse bilateral necrotizing typhlitis and multifocal to coalescent necrotizing hepatitis were observed. Fragments of the organs were collected in 10% formaldehyde buffered with phosphate-saline buffer for histopathological analysis and cecal content were collected for microbiological analysis. Histopathology of the cecum revealed transmural necrotizing typhlitis associated with myriads of trophozoites morphologically compatible with Histomonas meleagridis. The same microorganisms observed in association with necrotizing hepatitis lesions, which allowed the diagnosis of histomoniasis. Also, the bacterium Pantoea agglomerans was isolated from the cecal content.Discussion: The macroscopic and microscopic findings allowed the diagnosis and the first recording of histomoniasis in peacock in the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte. The bird was raised in an extensive breeding and without sanitary management, such as the use of anthelmintics, which may favor infection by the nematode Heterakis gallinarum, that’ transmits the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis. The contamination, which begins by the orofecal route, happens through the ingestion of eggs of the nematode contaminated with H. meleagridis that pass through the gastrointestinal tract, reaching the ceca and causing intense lesions in the organ, such as the bilateral transmural typhlitis that we observed in this case. From ceca, the protozoan has access to the bloodstream and reaches the liver, where it causes necrotic hepatitis, also present in the peacock. Both cecal and hepatic lesions were associated with myriads of microorganisms morphologically compatible with H. meleagridis, which allowed the diagnosis of the disease. The challenge in diagnosing this disease occurs mainly due to nonspecific clinical signs, such as apathy and weight loss, the only signs reported by the breeder and observed in this peacock. Confirmation of the occurrence of histomoniasis in any region is important to establish the disease among the differential diagnoses for the species, as in this case. Since this is the first report of peacock histomoniasis in the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte, it is evident the need to consider the disease among possible diagnoses in cases of nonspecific symptoms and it also demonstrates the need to implement control and prophylaxis measures in peacock breeding aiming to avoid losses of birds and economic losses to the breeders and to promote quality of life to the animals.

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Section: Discussionunclassified

Section: Introductionunclassified

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Histomoniasis in Peacock (Pavo cristatus) in the Potiguar Semiarid

Sousa

Oliveira

Júnior

et al. 2021

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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“…Foram observadas ainda múltiplas áreas aleatórias de necrose e inúmeras estruturas parasitárias intralesionais redondas ou ovais com 10-20 μm e levemente eosinofílicas ( hepatite necrótica associadas à infecção por Histomonas meleagridis [2,3,9,12,14,24]. A histomoníase afeta diversas espécies de aves domésticas e silvestres [1,14,15,23,24]. Dentre as espécies afetadas, os perus são os que apresentam maior morbidade e mortalidade [7,14], entretanto também pode acometer galinhas [1], perdizes chukar [18], faisões e pavões [17,24].…”

Section: Casounclassified

“…A histomoníase afeta diversas espécies de aves domésticas e silvestres [1,14,15,23,24]. Dentre as espécies afetadas, os perus são os que apresentam maior morbidade e mortalidade [7,14], entretanto também pode acometer galinhas [1], perdizes chukar [18], faisões e pavões [17,24].…”

Section: Casounclassified

Infecção natural por Histomonas meleagridis em pavões-indianos (Pavo cristatus)

Costa

Pereira

Silveira

et al. 2018

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Histomonas, also known as blackhead, is a protozoan disease caused by Histomonas meleagridis (phylum Parabasalia, class Tritrichomonadea, order Tritrichomonadida, family Dientamoebidae/Protrichomonadinae) and, characterized by enteric and hepatic lesions in several species of domestic and wild gallinaceous. Among the most affected species, turkeys are those with greater morbidity and mortality. Blackhead is the second most important disease caused by protozoa in domestic poultry, affecting especially young birds and causing severe economic losses, with decrease in production, lack of uniformity of lots and costs with treatment and control. Its occurrence must be monitored, especially in large poultry exporting countries, such as Brazil. The aim of this study is to report an outbreak of histomoniasis in Indian peacocksCase: A peacocks group created together with chickens showed clinical signs characterized by apathy, head down and bruised head, eyes closed, anorexia, yellow or pale stools and death. At necropsy, the cecum showed intense thickening of the wall with irregularity in the serous layer and abundant deposit of friable material, amorphous, yellowish color with areas reddish in the lumen with large number of filiform white parasites from 1 to 1.5 cm in length, morphologically compatible with Heterakis gallinarum. The liver showed large and circular, multifocal, whitish areas that extended towards the parenchyma. Histologically, was observed marked transmural typhlitis, severe proliferation of fibroblasts with multifocal neovascularization, histiocytic infiltrate, giant cell enlargement, bacterial myriads, presence of eosinophilic circulars trophozoites, with 6-20 μm in diameter, morphologically compatible with Histomonas meleagridis. These structures were positive in PAS staining. In the liver, a lesion was characterized by aleatory necrotizing hepatitis with abundant macrophagic and heterophilic infiltrate and some lymphocytes, as well as several foci of necrosis associated with numerous parasitis, intralesional, weakly eosinophilic, PAS-positive structures similar to those observed cecum.Discussion: All aspects observed in this outbreak were characteristic of Histomonas meleagridis infection. This protozoal infection occurs predominantly in turkeys, with high rates of morbidity and mortality, however, can affect chickens, chukar partridges, pheasants and peacocks. Histomoniasis occurs after ingestion of nematode eggs present in the feces of birds and earthworms. In addition, to the intestine and liver, there may be systemic parasitism with lesions in other organs such as kidneys, lungs, spleen and cloacal sac. Overcrowding of animals, the creation and use of chickens to hatch peacocks eggs, as well as the poor hygiene conditions were the main risk factors for the development of the disease. Due to the absence of specific clinical signs, the disease can be easily confused with other disorders. macroscopic and microscopic examinations are recommended to assist in confirming the definitive diagnosis of histomoniasis. Thus, it can be said that H. meleagridis may be cause of mortality in peacocks (Pavo cristatus) created in free system in Rio Grande do Sul, State. The diagnosis of this condition should be considered in cases of mortality in exotic bird breeding, especially when created together with most resistant species such as chickens and other poultry.

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Centennial Review: A revisiting of hen welfare and egg safety consequences of mandatory outdoor access for organic egg production

Holt

2021

Poultry Science

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Mandating free range husbandry as a requirement for organic egg designation remains a prevailing sentiment within a segment of the organic community. The proponents maintain that such management practice ensures high hen welfare and enhanced wholesomeness of the egg. However, evidence from the field, especially in the European Union ( EU ), contradicts these assumptions. In many cases, hens allowed outdoor access were more subject to increased injury from predators and from flock mates, disease was more prevalent and generally more severe, and, as a result, higher mortality was routinely observed in these individuals compared with those raised indoors. The safety of eggs from free range hens is also questionable. Outdoor access compromises biosecurity efforts to curtail interaction of hens with rodents and wild birds, increasing the risk of flock Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infection and consequent production of Salmonella -contaminated eggs. Even more serious, soil contaminated with dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, carcinogenic industrial by-products widespread in the environment, can be ingested by hens foraging outdoors. These compounds will subsequently be deposited into the egg yolks, many times at high levels, creating a serious food safety issue for the consuming public. Such findings provide evidence that hens exposed to a free-range environment may exhibit neither an enhanced welfare nor produce the safe wholesome egg that consumers expect.

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Histomoniasis outbreak in free-range chickens in semiarid Paraíba, Brazil

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Histomoniasis in Peacock (Pavo cristatus) in the Potiguar Semiarid

Histomoniasis in Peacock (Pavo cristatus) in the Potiguar Semiarid

Infecção natural por Histomonas meleagridis em pavões-indianos (Pavo cristatus)

Centennial Review: A revisiting of hen welfare and egg safety consequences of mandatory outdoor access for organic egg production

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