Cecal and hepatic granulomas in chickens associated with Heterakis gallinarum infection

Heterakis gallinarum infection was detected in the ceca of chickens with cecal and hepatic granulomas found at slaughter. The chickens were diagnostic submissions from four small backyard flocks in Saskatchewan. Detailed dissection of some cecal granulomas in one flock and pepsin digestion of cecal granulomas in the three other flocks demonstrated the presence of the parasite within granulomas in three of the flocks. A possible causal relationship between Heterakis gallinarum and the cecal and hepatic granulomas is discussed.