Ascites - the common causes

Sudipto Haldar

What is ascites

Ascites represents a spectrum of physiological and metabolic changes leading to excess accumulation of fluid
in the abdominal cavity.!

It happens due to pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction - pulmonary hypertension - right ventricular hypertrophy
- increased blood pressure in veins - leakage of fluids (lymphs) into body cavity - right ventricular failure death.!

Morbidity is 1-5% and mortality is 1-2%. Mortality may be as high as 30% in some cases.

Genetic predisposition to ascites

Modern birds are selected for rapid growth.!

To support this rapid growth metabolism and tissue turnover should run parallel to the growth rate.!

One of the key factors to support this fast growth is the thyroid hormone which supports metabolism.!

If a bird grows fast, it will burn more fuel (nutrients) and thus its oxygen requirement will be high.!

For a slow growing bird the oxygen demand is comparatively less.!

Birds may be genetically predisposed to ascites - probably due to selection failure towards enhanced thyroid
hormone activity.

Ascites due to high altitude hypoxia

in high altitude atmospheric oxygen tension is insufficient to meet the requirement at cellular level.!

To meet the oxygen demand the number of erythrocytes increases as a compensatory mechanism polycythemia.!

Polycythemia causes increased viscosity of blood.!

Stagnation of blood occurs in the veins - leakage of fluid from blood vessels into the extracellular spaces.!

This condition may occur secondary to the rigidity of erythrocytes which results from high sodium intake.!

Any pathological condition of lungs may also be responsible - but this occurs less frequently.

Ascites at low altitude

Ascites at low altitudes are caused by primary or spontaneous pulmonary hypertension.!

The main factor involved is improper ventilation.!

Oxygen demand in fast growing broilers is very high but the capacity of the pulmonary arteries is not sufficient
to carry the extra oxygen required to support the additional metabolic needs. !

This results right ventricular hypertrophy - right ventricular failure - increased venous pressure - leakage of
fluid into body cavities.!

If the condition is acute then birds will die of right ventricular failure - death will be on their backs - gasping for
oxygen.

Under which conditions oxygen demand increases?

Cold: Birds need faster metabolism in cold conditions. But the lungs of bird are very rigid and fixed in the
thoracic cavity and can not expand to accommodate the extra oxygen from air. Pulmonary capillaries are also
not flexible enough to accommodate the extra blood volume required to support extra oxygen supply.!

When the oxygen carrying capacity of blood decreases then either acidosis or accumulation of carbon
monoxide in blood occurs - here lies the importance of proper ventilation.!

High sodium intake: This may increase blood volume and hinder proper blood flow through the capillaries.!

Lung pathology: Conditions like chronic respiratory disease caused by mycoplasma and confounded by E. coli
do not allow enough oxygen supply too the tissue level.

How to control and prevent ascites?

The main trick of controlling and preventing ascites is to reduce the high oxygen demand. !

This can be accomplished by arresting growth rate and improving oxygen supply to the birds through improved
ventilation. !

Any condition which may increase oxygen demand should not be allowed to precipitate - for example cold
stress has to be checked - good brooding is advised, respiratory infections must be controlled - antibiotic
treatment may be initiated and birds must be checked for any viral or bacterial infections which may cause
damage to the vascular system.!

Liver damage may cause ascites - toxin levels in feed has to be checked.

Control and prevention of ascites - feed dilution

Any growth control measure may result in overall grout retardation. So, only growth retardation should not be
the sole strategy to control ascites. !

If growth retardation strategy has to be adopted then it should be done during the first 3 weeks of life. This
period is metabolically stressful and the maximum bone and muscle growth occurs during this period of time.
So growth retardation during the first 3 weeks reduces the stress on the cardiovascular system and the bird
moves to the finisher stage with a more robust cardiovascular system. !

Since the first week body weight determines the final performance of the birds so the diet of the first 7 days
must not be changed - a true pre starter diet is suggested. The dietary regime may be divided as follows when
ascites is apprehended - pre starter (1-7 d), starter/grower (8-25 d) and finisher )from 25 d till lifting).!

Since growth is to be retarded during the early phase of life so, it is the amino acid density which needs to be
lowered but not the energy. So, energy density of diet should not be changed.

Control and prevention of ascites - feed form and lighting

Feeding of mash feed may reduce the incidence of ascites in birds which are prone to ascites. !

Use of mash feed is particularly important in condition involving cold stress.!

Cold stress increases metabolic demand of the birds. So birds tend to eat more in a short time. The amount of
energy and other nutrients thus consumed in cold stressed conditions need more oxygen to be metabolised
but the cardiovascular capacity does not allow enough oxygen supply for that metabolism to take place. This
may precipitate right ventricular failure.!

Feeding of mash feed reduces feed intake to some extent and thus retards growth rate as compared with
pelleted feed. So, shifting from pellet to mash may help reducing the incidence of ascites in broilers.!

Intermittent lighting may prevent ascites in broilers by reducing their feed intake and thus arresting their
growth. In this way intermittent lighting reduces the oxygen demand of the birds.

Control and prevention of ascites - management tips

In low altitude ascites is mainly a management disease caused mostly during cold seasons.!

Prevention and control of ascites largely depends on the oxygen supply to the birds. This can be ensured
through good management of ventilation. !

During the first 7 days brooding has to be done very carefully. Chicks should be placed on litters which are
dried properly and treated with anti fungal agents. Prior to placing the chicks room temperature should be
maintained at 35oC (95oF) and the floor temperature should reach 40oC. !

Minimum ventilation has to be maintained in night when the chill effect is maximum. During day time if
weather is favourable then curtains should be partially dropped to allow cross ventilation. !

If false ceiling is there in the room that should be removed or basket fans should be installed to exhaust the
accumulated carbon di oxide and ammonia. This means air volume in the room has to be increased.

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Control and prevention of ascites - medication tips

Any condition in lungs which may affect pulmonary air circulation may precipitate ascites. One of the major
causes is chronic respiratory disease caused by mycoplasma and systemic E. coli infections. !

If ascites is apprehended then the risk of chronic respiratory diseases should be hedged. This can by done by
giving enrofloxacin @ 10 mg/kg body weight in drinking water during the first 3 days of life. This treatment
should be repeated whenever any respiratory diseases is found to be ensuing. This enrofloxacin is aimed to
treat respiratory infections and not any intestinal pathogen.!

If the chick comes with vertical transmission of mycoplasma from their parents then this line of treatment
should work well. !

To ensure a healthy gut probiotic should be given during the first 7 days in drinking water.

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Control and prevention of ascites - dietary tips

Vitamin C and E + selenium - during ascites reactive oxygen species are produced which aggravate the
condition. To fight with the reactive oxygen the first line of defence is the endogenous antioxidants - ascorbic
acid, tocopherol and glutathione.!

Sodium bi carbonate - Fast growing birds are always in a state of metabolic acidosis. Acidosis results in
vasoconstriction and reduces affinity of haemoglobin towards oxygen. !

When ascites is apprehended, chicks should be supplemented with some additional amounts of vitamin C +
E and selenium. The level of supplementation depends on the existing practice.!

Excess chloride reduces blood pH - so diet should be formulated in such a way that it should contain some
quantity of sodium bi carbonate (soda) which should replace common salt. !

Any other medication that increases blood pH may also be used when ascites is apprehended.

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