Vol. 7, Issue 10 (2018)

Author(s):
Devigasri C, Priya PM, Niranjana S Rajalakshmi, Nair Aswathy, Anu Bosewell and Mini M

Abstract:
E. coli and Salmonella infections are significant as both a cause of clinical disease in duck and as a source of food-borne transmission to humans. Heavy economic losses occur due to morbidity, mortality, reduced egg and meat production in ducks. The present report deals with the outbreak of E. coli and Salmonella and its diagnosis by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) and its characterisation by sequencing. Few ducks of one month of age with clinical signs of droopiness, torticollis was brought from a farm comprising of 600 ducks. Post mortem examination revealed mild airsacculitis and other organs were apparently normal. On blood smear examination bipolar stained organism could be identified. On culturing lactose fermenters and lactose non fermenters which had colony morphology suggestive of E. coli and Salmonella could be isolated from MacConkey agar. On Gram staining, former revealed Gram negative bacilli and later revealed Gram negative coccobacilli. The confirmatory diagnosis as mixed infection was carried out by using gene specific multiplex PCR and sequencing.