Bacterial enteritides of poultry.

Enteric bacterial infections in poultry pose a threat to intestinal health and can contribute to poor feed efficiency and livability of a flock. A variety of enteric bacterial diseases are recognized in poultry. Three of these bacterial diseases, necrotic enteritis, ulcerative enteritis, and spirochetosis, primarily infect the intestine, whereas other bacterial diseases, such as salmonellosis, colibacillosis, mycobacteriosis, erysipelas, and fowl cholera, affect a variety of organ systems in addition to the intestine. Diagnosis of bacterial enteritis requires monitoring of clinical signs in the flock and proper use of diagnostic methods such as necropsy, histopathology, bacteriology, and serology.