Scoliosis in chickens: responsiveness of severity and incidence to dietary copper.
The severity and incidence of spinal lesions were manipulated in a line of chickens susceptible to scoliosis by varying their dietary intake of copper. A decrease in expression of the lesion was related to increased intake of copper. The change in expression, however, appeared to be related only indirectly to the defects in collagen cross-linking, maturation, and deposition known to be associated with dietary copper deficiency. Thus, a dietary constituent in the range of normal intakes may act as an environmental factor in the expression of scoliosis.
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012737:Sex Factors
D003300:Copper; D003094:Collagen