Enterococcus durans infection in young chickens associated with bacteremia and encephalomalacia.

Two unrelated flocks of chicks experienced elevated mortality from 4 to 10 days of age. Clinical signs in affected birds included a full range of neurological disorders. Livers and spleens were grossly enlarged at necropsy. Enterococcus durans was isolated from multiple organs, including brains. Histologically, there were multifocal coagulative necrosis in the liver, areas of malacia in brain stem, and cerebellar white matter. Inoculation of 1-day-old chicks with a suspension of E. durans resulted in bacteremia but did not produce the lesions observed in field cases.