OCCURANCE OF ULCERATIVE ENTERITIS IN ADULT JAPANESE QUAILS

Ulcerative enteritis (UE) was diagnosed in 10 week old Japanese quail based on gross, microscopic lesions and cultural examination of the quails submitted for necropsy. The size of flock was 1000 and the quail were kept in deep litter system. Total mortality due to UE was 21.9% and showed decreased egg production. Grossly, intestine particularly duodenum was severely reddened with blood tinged contents in all the quails necropsied. Ileum showed catarrhal enteritis. Microscopically, section of duodenum showed diffused coagulative necrosis of mucosa with haemorrhages, sloughing of epithelial cells and denudation of villi and infiltration of mononuclear cells in mucosa and sub-mucosa. The occurrance of ulcerative enteritis in adult quails could have resulted possibly due to overcrowding stress and development of wet litter due to heavy rain fall. The quails were treated with Diaveridine and Sulphaquinoxaline @ 1g per litre of water for five days showed improvement in controlling mortality.