Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Abstract

Isolation and identification of Enterococcus faecalis from small intestine and cecum of quails were done by culturing on differential and selective media. The lesions of aorta in quails experimentally infected with isolated bacteria were examined. Quails were divided randomly into four groups, the first group considered as control, and the other groups inoculated itraperitoneally with 0.5 ml of bacterial suspension of 108 CFU (2nd group), 109 CFU (the 3rd group), and 1010 CFU (the 4th group). The pathological changes of thoracic and abdominal aorta were recorded at 3, 7, 14 and 21 post infection days which include hyperplasia of endothelial cells with intensive localization of fatty vacuoles (foam cells) in intimal and medial layers of aortas with the proliferation and hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) accompanied by fragmentation of elastic fibers. These lesions were more severe at 14 and 21 post infection days. We concluded that E. faecalis possesses the ability to induce fatty degeneration in aorta indicating primary lesions of atherosclerosis in quails.