title: Comparative Quantitative Studies on the Microvasculature of the Heart of a Highly Selected Meat-Type and a Wild-Type Turkey Line.
abstract: In this study the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the heart of a fast growing, meat-type turkey line (British United turkeys BUT Big 6) and a wild-type turkey line (Canadian Wild turkey) were compared. At 8 and 16 weeks of age, 10 birds of each genotype and sex were sampled. The body mass and heart mass of the meat-type turkey both increased at a faster rate than those of the wild-type turkey. However in both turkey lines, the relative heart mass decreased slightly with age, the decrease was statistically significant only in the male turkeys. Furthermore meat-type turkeys had a significantly (p < 0.01) lower relative heart mass and relative thickness of the left ventricle compared to the wild-type turkeys of the same age. The wild-type turkeys showed no significant change in the size of cardiomyocytes (cross sectional area and diameter) from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. In contrast, the size of cardiomyocytes increased significantly (p < 0.001) with age in the meat-type turkeys. The number of capillaries in the left ventricular wall increased significantly (p < 0.001) in wild-type turkeys from 2351 per mm2 at the age of 8 weeks to 2843 per mm2 at 16 weeks. However, in the meat-type turkeys there were no significant changes, capillary numbers being 2989 per mm2 at age 8 weeks and 2915 per mm2 at age 16 weeks. Correspondingly the area occupied by capillaries in the myocardium increased in wild-type turkeys from 8.59% at the age of 8 weeks to 9.15% at 16 weeks, whereas in meat-type turkeys this area decreased from 10.4% at 8 weeks to 9.95% at 16 weeks. Our results indicate a mismatch in development between body mass and heart mass and a compromised cardiac capillary density and architecture in the meat-type turkeys in comparison to the wild-type turkeys.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Salah
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0100-5909
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Masri
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kattanek
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia.
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Poultry Diseases, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hafez Mohamed
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hafez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plendl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hünigen
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001835:Body Weight; D001947:Breeding; D002196:Capillaries / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002452:Cell Count; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008833:Microcirculation; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology; D009929:Organ Size; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014422:Turkeys / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development