title: The absence of sex and age effects on the corticosterone response of turkey poults to adrenocorticotropic hormone and temperature stressors.
abstract: A study was undertaken to assess the role of sex and age on the adrenal cortical response of turkey poults during the time period associated with idiopathic poult mortality. Three and 14-day-old tom and hen turkey poults were subjected to the following treatments: saline injection (control), cool water immersion (20 C) for 1 min, cold water immersion (5 C) for 1 min, and 1 IU/kg adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) injection. Blood was collected 1 and 4 h posttreatment for plasma corticosterone (CS) assay. Temperature treatments did not affect plasma CS in either age or sex. Plasma CS was increased by ACTH after 4 h postinjection in both sexes and at both ages. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortical axis of the turkey poult was functional but appeared to be insensitive to temperature stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7608.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Siopes
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008297:Male; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012737:Sex Factors; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors; D014422:Turkeys / Q000097:blood*; D014868:Water Deprivation
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone