Which clinical finding is associated with septicemia due to Salmonella enteritidis in chickens?

• A. Renal failure
• B. Dermatitis
• C. Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly
• D. Respiratory wheezing

Answer: (C)

Salmonella septicemia in chickens tends to be a systemic infection that involves organs rich in phagocytes. When the bacteria spread through the bloodstream, the liver and spleen become heavily affected by inflammation and bacterial load, leading to hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. These enlargements of the reticuloendothelial organs are classic signs of septicemia in poultry infected with Salmonella enteritidis, reflecting the body’s rapid, widespread immune response in those organs.

Renal failure, dermatitis, and respiratory wheezing are not typical primary findings of Salmonella septicemia. Renal issues would point more to kidney-specific disease, dermatitis to skin involvement, and wheezing to a primary respiratory condition rather than systemic septicemia.