Some pathological and biochemical studies on experimental ascaridiasis in chickens

During studying the pathogenicity of Ascaridia galli for young Ross-Broiler chickens fed with single doses of 100, 200 and 500 infective eggs, it was found that the infected chickens showed variable decreases in body weight gain and increases in the ratio of liver weight relative to body weight when compared with the control. Both decrease and increase was proportionally related with the number of infective eggs given to the chickens. Biochemical analysis of muscle and liver tissue of the previous groups of chickens showed a decrease in both glycogen and protein content and an increase in fat content of muscle and liver of infected chickens when compared with those of normal tissues. The decrease in the glycogen content due to ascaridiasis was mostly apparent in case of 500 egg dose and that of the protein content was noted with the egg doses of 200 and 500. Each of the three egg doses showed a significant increase in the fat content of the muscle and liver of infected chickens when compared with the control. After the sixth week of infection chickens fed with 500 eggs showed emaciation, loss of colour of combs and legs and of brightness of plumage, diarrhoea, drooping wings, ruffled feathers and a gradual loss of strength manifested by leg weakness. At autopsy, the small intestine showed external macroscopic lesions of haemorrhage and congestion. Intestinal obstruction with adult Ascaridia galli was also found in the infected birds.