Studies on E.coli infection in chickens

Summary:- E. coli could penetrate the egg shells and when thecontamination of the egg shell took place late in the emb-yonic life, the incidence of dead in shell embryos and lossof hatching chickens was higher than when shell contamin-ation took place in an early embryonic stage.During experimental infection with ~. coli either byegg contamination or inoculation through the air sac ofadult birds, carriers were created in the majority of birdsexposed and they passed the organism in some of their eggsei ther through cont amination of egg shells or throughovary and the localization sites of ~. ££li in these carr-ier birds were heart, liver, spleen, intestine, gallbladder, oviduct and ovary.E. coli remained viable in infected chicken carcassesfor 7 days if kept at room temperature (25 - 40°C), 10 daysif kept at 4°C, and for 25 days if kept at -4°C or -25°C.The organism remained viable at room temperature in drink-ing water for 99 hours if kept in pottery water troughs andfor 36 hours if kept in metallic water troughs. E. coliwas viable in chicken faeces for 30 days if kept at roomtemperature (25 - 40°C).