Diagnosis and Therapeutic Management of Newcastle Disease Outbreak in a Broiler Farm: A Comprehensive Study of Gross and Microscopic Lesions

Abstract

An outbreak of Newcastle disease was found on 17th August, 2023 at a broiler farm in Chattogram Metropolitan Area with a history of dyspnea, gasping, coughing, drowsiness, decreased feed intake, and sudden mortality of 45 birds out of 1000 chickens in previous three days. The flock's average body weight was between 900 to 1000gm and they were 20 days old. The clinical signs were dyspnea, drowsiness, reduced feed intake, gasping, coughing, sticky ocular and nasal discharge, violent diarrhea (bright green in color), CNS involvement such as tremor as well as neck and head twisting. At postmortem examination, there found dark congested hemorrhagic lungs, hemorrhagic patches on the entire mucosa of proventriculus, hemorrhagic ulcers on intestines, hemorrhagic spots on cecal tonsils. For comprehensive study, the permanent slides were prepared. In the permanent slide of some samples such as lungs, intestine and cecal tonsils there showed some microscopic lesions that were severe congestion, hemorrhages, collapsed and ruptured alveoli, and a considerable number of inflammatory cells in the alveoli and interalveolar septa in lungs, small hemorrhages in the lamina propria, shrinkage and fusion of the villi, desquamation of the lining epithelium, and infiltration of inflammatory cells were found in intestine, transmural inflammatory cell invasion and slight hemorrhages in the cecal tonsils. The treatment was given such as Sulfonamides as antibiotic, Anti-stress element and immune stimulator, antiviral element, mucolytic agent and Vitamin A, D3, E preparation. Some advice regarding biosecurity measures were also given. The outcome of the treatment was satisfactory. The birds' condition progressively became better, and the deaths of the birds had ceased happening. There was no longer any mortality.