Hypoglycemia, enteritis, and spiking mortality in Georgia broiler chickens: experimental reproduction in broiler breeder chicks.
The clinical signs, hypoglycemia, and mortality of "spiking mortality syndrome" were experimentally reproduced. Seven groups of day-old male primary broiler breeder chicks were orally inoculated with tissue and/or fecal-urate homogenates taken from field broilers with spiking mortality syndrome and from field broilers with enteritis and/or runting-stunting syndrome. All homogenates used as inocula were shown by transmission electron microscopy and negative staining to contain arenavirus-like particles. Inocula produced from field broilers with spiking mortality syndrome contained the highest numbers of the arena-virus-like particles and produced the highest percentage of hypoglycemic chicks 13-15 days postinoculation after a 5-to-9-hour fast. These homogenates also produced the most significant differences in mean plasma growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels. The significance of the arenavirus-like particles is unknown but is currently being investigated.
Davis
J F
JF
Georgia Poultry Laboratory, Oakwood 30566, USA.
Castro
A E
AE
de la Torre
J C
JC
Scanes
C G
CG
Radecki
S V
SV
Vasillatos-Younken
R
R
Doman
J T
JT
Teng
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001117:Arenaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D018050:Arenavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002645:Chickens; D004751:Enteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011201:Poultry Diseases; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012098:Reproduction; D013577:Syndrome
D000956:Antigens, Viral