Intestinal coccidiosis with intussusception in Giriraja chicken: A pathological study

Clinical, gross and histopathological studies were conducted to investigate mortality in Giriraja chicken from a small poultry farm in the Aizawl district, Mizoram. Clinically, the affected birds of 5 - 6 weeks age showed loss of appetite, unthriftiness and bloody diarrhoea with mucus. Necropsy examination revealed anaemic pale musculature, distended small intestine and petechial haemorrhages in small intestine, at a few places of the large intestine. Necropsy of one bird showed intussusception of the ileum. Histopathological examination showed severe haemorrhagic enteritis with necrosis and disintegration of glandular epithelial cells. Several schizonts were visible in the epithelial cells along with merozoites and infiltrating heterophils and eosinophils. Mucosal scraping examination showed numerous oocyst of Eimeria spp.