ARS | Publication request: Femoral head cartilage disarticulation disorder

Submitted to: North Central Avian Disease Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 11, 2008
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Femoral head cartilage disarticulation disorder and necrosis is a major skeletal problem in broiler breeders since they are maintained for a long time in the farm. The etiology of this disease is not well understood. A field study was conducted to understand the basis of this metabolic disease. Six week old broiler breeders with femoral head cartilage disarticulation were used to measure serum chemistries. Chickens with disarticulated femoral head cartilage and growth plate lesions showed elevated levels of cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides compared with control birds of same age. Since, femoral head necrosis in human has been linked to fat embolism of femoral arterioles induced by steroid therapy, an experimental trial was conducted where birds were fed high fat diets consisting of 4% (control), 6% and 8% poultry fat. Two groups of chickens were injected with a synthetic glucocorticoid, prednisolone, or cholesterol (control) during last week of the trial. Necropsy was done at 37 days of age. Although high fat in the diet had no significant effect on the incidence of the femoral head cartilage disarticulation, the prednisolone injected group of chickens showed a significant increase in the incidence of femoral head cartilage disarticulation and elevated levels of cholesterol and LDL. In response to stress, glucocorticoid levels increases causing increase in the serum lipid level. Therefore, it appears that an elevated serum lipid profile along with stress results in the induction of femoral head cartilage disarticulation disorder.