Epidemiology of fowl typhoid in Haryana, India

Fowl typhoid caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum is one of the most important bacterial diseases of poultry. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the epidemiological status of fowl typhoid in broilers in Haryana for the past four years (2005-2008) and to establish the role of hatcheries in spreading the Salmonella infection. A total of 227 outbreaks of fowl typhoid were recorded in chickens during the period from January 2005 to December 2008. The maximum number of outbreaks (96) was recorded in the age group of 7-9 days during the past four years. Maximum mortality and case fatality rate were found in chickens of 1-2 weeks of age. Temporal distribution of the disease indicates more outbreaks in extreme weather conditions. From spatial distribution of the disease, it was evident that the disease was prevalent in nine districts of Haryana out of 20. By analysing the data regarding the prevalence of Salmonella infection in hatcheries, more than one third (37.8%) of hatcheries were found to be infected with Salmonella, which is an alarming situation for the region.