A survey of disease in five commercial flocks of meat breeder chickens

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Causes of sickness and death in approximately 30,000 chickens in 5 meat breeder flocks were investigated between May 1979 and April 1980. Approximately 23% of disease was due to neoplasms; 81% of these were Marek's disease despite vaccination against this infection. Other frequent diagnoses included cellulitis (15%), respiratory disease (14%), lesions of the reproductive tract (11%) and tenosynovitis/arthritis (9%). Antibodies to Mycoplasma gallisepticium, avian adenovirus, infectious bursal disease virus and reticuloendotheliosis virus were present in all flocks. Antibody to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was found in 2 flocks but titres were not considered protective against a virulent NDV challenge. Antibody to egg drop syndrome 1976 virus was found in 2 flocks comprised of the same breed of bird.