The incidence of pododermatitis on broiler carcasses: lesion characteristics and sensitivity of acetic acid on associated bacteria

Broiler chicken feet are used as food and in the production of gelatin in many countries. Pododermatitis is a common disease in broiler chicken farming, which can affect the quality of broiler feet and be a perennial source of pathogenic bacteria that threaten public health. This research aimed to describe the lesion characteristics (macroscopic and histopathological) of pododermatitis in slaughtered broiler chickens, identify the associated pathogenic bacteria, and evaluate their sensitivity to acetic acid. One hundred thirty-six samples of pododermatitis lesions were subjected to morphological examination, and 129 underwent bacteriological examination to isolate and identify pathogenic bacteria using standard microbiological and biochemical tests. All isolated bacterial strains were tested for sensitivity to acetic acid using the agar dilution method. Pododermatitis samples of different scores underwent histopathological analysis. The results showed that score 4 was the most common (37.5%) for pododermatitis with an area of 2.91±2.00 cm2. Pododermatitis scores 3 and 4 showed the same microscopic lesions, including full-thickness epidermal ulcerations. Bacteriological analysis revealed that all 129 pododermatitis samples were positive, and 184 bacterial strains were isolated and identified. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated bacterium (66.30%), and the second- and third-most prevalent were Escherichia coli (19.57%) and Staphylococcus hiycus (5.98%), respectively. Acetic acid was particularly effective against all tested bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hiycus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella sonnei), with an average minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ≤0.08%. In conclusion, broiler pododermatitis was a dominant disease, and S. aureus was the most important pathogen associated with pododermatitis in broiler chickens. Acetic acid was an effective product for controlling the bacteria involved in pododermatitis.