Aspects clinical and pathological associated with the eletrophoretic profile of turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) inoculated with Salmonella enteritidis

The study evaluated clinical, anatomopathological, immunological aspects, and the electrophoretic profile of serum proteins in turkeys experimentally inoculated with Salmonella enteritidis at different concentrations. A total of 160 one-day-old turkeys were used, distributed into four groups: control (saline solution) and three treatment groups with inocula of 6.0×10², 7.0×10⁵, and 8.0×10⁹ CFU/mL. Blood was collected at specific post-inoculation time points (1 to 24 hours, and on days 3, 4, 38, and 49) for protein analysis. After euthanasia, liver, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius fragments were collected for bacteriological and histopathological examinations. The results showed significant differences in total serum proteins from 6 hours post-inoculation, with higher values observed in the group that received the highest concentration of Salmonella enteritidis. Bacterial isolation from the liver was detected from 6 hours up to four days post-inoculation. Hepatic alterations, such as vacuolar degeneration and inflammatory infiltrates, were observed up to 49 days. In the spleen and bursa, lymphocytic depletion and heterophilic infiltrates were noted. Clinically, the turkeys exhibited drowsiness, apathy, and dirty cloaca, with some birds dying without symptoms while others recovered between the third and fourth weeks. Mortality was high in the first week, decreasing in the following weeks. It is concluded that Salmonella enteritidis induces significant protein and histopathological alterations, with more pronounced effects at high doses and in the early days following infection.