title: Cutaneous mucinosis in a strain of brown-egg laying chickens.
abstract: Cutaneous mucinosis is a cutaneous disorder described in humans, dogs, and rarely cats but never reported in birds. Twenty-six brown egg-laying chickens between ages 43 and 46 weeks had a history of feather loss, scaly, dry skin, weight loss, and decreased egg production. Microscopic findings in the skin included fragmentation of collagen bundles and interstitial, periadnexal, and perivascular dermal accumulation of wispy, mildly basophilic material that was also occasionally observed within the follicular epithelium. A moderate lymphoplasmacytic and heterophilic perivascular dermatitis was also observed. The wispy to granular material was diffusely Alcian blue positive and periodic acid-Schiff negative (consistent with mucin), suggesting a diagnosis of primary or secondary cutaneous mucinosis. The cause of this condition could not be determined.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service, Office of Field Operations, Washington, DC, USA California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anthenill
authors.affiliation: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, Tulare, CA, USA School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Tulare, CA, USA hlshivaprasad@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Shivaprasad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D005241:Feathers / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D017520:Mucinoses / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: brown egg–laying chickens; histology; mucinosis; skin