Splenic granulomas in broiler chickens produced experimentally by inoculation with Eubacterium tortuosum.
Eubacterium tortuosum, a gram-positive anaerobic filamentous bacillus, was isolated from splenic and hepatic granulomas of a 56-day-old slaughtered chicken. This isolate was injected intravenously into two groups of 2-week-old broiler chickens, which were necropsied 19 days later. Five of 15 chickens injected with 5 x 10(6) colony-forming units of a 48-hour culture of E. tortuosum developed splenic granulomas typical of those seen in chickens at slaughter. No lesions were observed in chickens given 5 x 10(5) colony-forming units of E. tortuosum or in control chickens receiving phosphate-buffered saline solution. Attempts to reisolate E. tortuosum from experimentally infected chickens were unsuccessful; however, typical filamentous organisms were observed in splenic granulomas of all five affected chickens.
Hafner
S
S
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, Athens, Georgia 30604.
Harmon
B G
BG
Thayer
S G
SG
Hall
S M
SM
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D005051:Eubacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*