Consequences of concurrent Ascaridia galli and Escherichia coliinfections in chickens

Table 3 Number of animals, parasitic (A. galli), bacterial (nalidixic-acid-resistant O78 E. coli) and pathological findings of third experiment with primary E. coli infection superimposed by secondary A. galli infection

Group	Type, route and dose of infection	Group size	No of dead animals during experiment	Post-mortem findings at slaughter
				Pathological changes	Worm burden (± S.D.)	Re-isolation of E. coli
Ag	Oral 500 A. galli eggs	20	0	20 neg.	0.8 ± 1.4	20 neg.
Ec8O+Ag	Oral E. coli with 10⁸ cfu + oral 500 A. galli eggs	21	0	21 neg.	0.3 ± 0.5	21 neg
Ec8T+Ag	Tracheal E. coli with 10⁸ cfu + oral 500 A. galli eggs	21	7^1,4	14 neg.	0.1 ± 0.3	14 neg.
Ec8O	Oral E. coli with 10⁸ cfu	21	0	21 neg.	0	21 neg.
Ec8T	Tracheal E. coli with 10⁸ cfu	21	6^2,4	15 neg.	0	15 neg.
Control	Uninfected control	20	0	20 neg.	0³	20 neg.

¹ Seven animals died after the second infection with A. galli. All were positive for a nalidixic_acid_resistant O78 E. coli and had extensive pathological changes, all with airsacculitis and fibrinopurulent pericarditis.
² Six animals died after the first infection with E. coli. All were positive for a nalidixic_acid_resistant O78 E. coli and five chickens had pathological with airsacculitis and fibrinopurulent pericarditis. One chicken had no pathological changes.
³ Few larvae were recovered in the uninfected groups.
⁴ Significantly more animals died compared to the remaining groups.

ISSN: 1751-0147