Abstract
Leucocytozoonosis was found in three layer farms in chickens with suspected fatty liver or fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome in Korea between 2009 and 2011. These layer chicken flocks showed both mortality and decreased egg production for one or two weeks when they were between 59 and 82 weeks old. At the necropsy, the most prominent gross lesions were found in the liver, which was enlarged, had a fragile texture, exhibited yellowish discolorations, and had various hemorrhagic lesions. Tissue reactions associated with megaloschizonts specific for Leucocytozoon caulleryi were prominent upon microscopic examination of the liver without significant lipidosis. In addition, the ovaries and uterus were the most affected organs for Leucocytozoon caulleryi multiplication, which led to decreased egg productions. Molecular studies with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were performed in search of a partial region of the cytochrome b gene for hemosporidian parasites. Based on these results, the causal agent was determined to be closely related to Leucocytozoon caulleryi reported in Japan and Malaysia. In this study, we describe recently re-occurring leucocytozoonosis in layer chickens, which required histopathology for disease diagnosis. To prevent outbreaks and maintain chicken health and egg production, layer chickens need to be monitored for symptoms of leucocytozoonosis.
Highlights
Leucocytozoonosis in chickens is one of the important poultry diseases caused by the parasitic protozoa Hemosporida belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa
We report the recent occurrence of chicken leucocytozoonosis in layer chicken flocks suspected of having fatty liver or fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS)
In this study, using histopathology and molecular studies, we confirmed the recent occurrences of leucocytozoonosis in layer chicken cases that were suspected to have fatty liver or FLHS
Summary
Leucocytozoonosis in chickens is one of the important poultry diseases caused by the parasitic protozoa Hemosporida belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Leucocytozoon caulleryi (L. caulleyri) was first reported in Vietnam in 1909, and leucocytozoonosis in chickens has been endemic to south-eastern Asian countries[1,2,3]. In Korea, starting with its first report in 1959, leucocytozoonosis cases had been continuously reported through the late 1990s[4,5,6,7,8]. The clinical features and the required method of diagnosis of this hemosporidian disease in the chicken flock mainly depend on its life cycle, especially whether the parasite is in the stage of schizogony and gametogony. In the stage of schizogony, sporozoites are transmitted from the salivary glands of an insect
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