A new threat to poultry in countries with intensive poultry production is now Enterococcus cecorum. Recently it has been shown that this species is the etiologic agent of enterococcal vertebral osteoarthritis (EVOA) in chickens. Typical places where bacteria come to the proliferation are thoracic vertebrae, hip joints and ankles. It is not known precisely what mechanisms influence the affinity of enterococci for these places and how bacteria enter them. In the present study the first case in Poland of enterococcal spondylitis caused by E. cecorum in broiler chickens has been described. Birds at the age of 6 weeks showed problems with moving, sitting posture, arching of the back. Decreased weight gain and increased culling were noted. During necropsy the characteristic abscess in the Th6-Th7 vertebra compressed of the spinal cord and femoral head necrosis was observed. The disease was confirmed by bacteriological tests and PCR. Many issues concerning the meaning of E. cecorum in pathology of poultry are unknown. More research is needed on the pathogenesis and development of effective prevention methods and therapy.
Enterococci (faecal streptococci, so-called „fecal strep”) are common in many species of animals and in the environment. They are part of the physiological (saprophytic), intestinal flora of mammals and birds (described, among others, in chickens, pigeons, ducks and canaries). A new threat to poultry in countries with intensive poultry production is now Enterococcus cecorum. Recently this species has been shown to be the etiologic agent of enterococcal vertebral osteoarthritis in chickens. The most typical sites where these bacteria proliferate are the thoracic spine (especially vertebrae Th4 and Th6), hip joints and ankles. It is not known precisely what mechanisms influence the affinity of E. cecorum to these sites and how these bacteria invade them. Many issues concerning the significance of E. cecorum in poultry pathology have not been explored. More research is needed on the pathogenesis of this interesting pathogen infection to develop effective methods of prevention and therapy.
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