SUMMARY. Septicemia-Toxemia (sep/tox) is under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food safety category -1 and is the most common and economically significant cause of broiler carcass condemnations. Hepatic lesions are considered a possible consequence of septicemia and associated bacterial contamination of the carcass. Thus, these lesions are considered an indicator of sep/tox (sep/tox hepatitis). This study was undertaken to analyze the histologic lesions preceding grossly visible liver lesions leading to condemnation due to sep/tox at the processing plant. Livers from carcasses of broilers condemned by USDA inspectors for sep/tox were used to establish microscopic and gross criteria of end-stage sep/tox hepatitis. Following the characterization of sep/tox hepatitis, broilers from a farm with a history of sep/tox condemnations were submitted for necropsy and bacteriological investigation at four intervals during the final 20 days of production. Five healthy and five clinically ill chickens were submitted from four houses at 18, 25, 32 and 38 days of production (160 total). Microscopic lesions representing in hepatic perisinusoidal myofibroblast proliferation (HPMP), periportal extramedullary granulopoiesis (PEMG), splenic follicular histocytosis (SFH), and bone marrow cellularity (BMC) were graded subjectively for each bird and subjective grading was evaluated with digital quantitative techniques. Peri-sinusoidal hepatic stellate cells (HSC) morphology and progressive transformation of these cells into myofibroblasts was confirmed by immunohistochemistry for smooth muscle actin and desmin. Aerobic cultures of livers and gall bladders from sep/tox birds yielded no growth of bacteria associated with septicemia. Mild to severe HPMP was observed in all age groups representing 28% of examined birds. Increases in inflammatory cells observed by PEMG and BMC were positively correlated with progressive HPMP and end-stage sep/tox hepatitis in broiler chickens.
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Research Article|
August 20 2020
HEPATIC PERI-SINUSOIDAL MYOFIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE PRECEDES SEP/TOX HEPATITIS IN BROILERS
Erfan Chowdhury;
Erfan Chowdhury
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA. Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory system, Auburn, AL 36832, USA
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Floyd Wilson;
Floyd Wilson
MVRDL & PVRDL, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Pearl, MS 39288, USA
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Fred Hoerr;
Fred Hoerr
Veterinary Diagnostic Pathology, LLC, Fort Valley, Virginia, 22652 USA
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John Roberts, DVM;
John Roberts, DVM
University of Florida Associate Clinical Professor Dept of Comparative, Diagnostic and Population Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine 2015 SW 16th Ave UNITED STATES Gainesville Florida 32610 3347076360
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Heather Walz;
Heather Walz
Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory system, Auburn, AL 36832, USA
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Rüdiger Hauck;
Rüdiger Hauck
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA. Department of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA
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Amit Morey;
Amit Morey
Department of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA
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Shannon Morgan;
Shannon Morgan
P.O. Box 737, Boaz, AL, 35957, USA
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Kellye Joiner;
Kellye Joiner
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA
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Russell Cattley;
Russell Cattley
Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA
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Subhash Sengupta
Subhash Sengupta
Koch Foods, Montgomery, AL 36108
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Avian Dis (2020)
Article history
Received:
September 11 2019
Revision Received:
August 13 2020
Accepted:
August 18 2020
Citation
Erfan Chowdhury, Floyd Wilson, Fred Hoerr, John Roberts, Heather Walz, Rüdiger Hauck, Amit Morey, Shannon Morgan, Kellye Joiner, Russell Cattley, Subhash Sengupta; HEPATIC PERI-SINUSOIDAL MYOFIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE PRECEDES SEP/TOX HEPATITIS IN BROILERS. Avian Dis 2020; doi: https://doi.org/10.1637/aviandiseases-D-19-00157
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