COMPARATIVE STUDY ON PATHOLOGY OF HEMIC SYSTEM OF THREE BROILER CHICKEN STRAINS SUFFERING FROM EXPERIMENTAL HYDROPERICARDIUM SYNDROME

The experiment was conducted to study the comparative pathology of hemic system among three different broiler chicken strains i.e. Hubbard (H), Lohmann (L) and Indian River (IR) suffering from experimentally induced Hydropericardium Syndrome (HPS). For this 50 chicks of each strain were inoculated with HPS inoculum at the age of 21 days and other 50 chicks of each broiler strain were kept as uninoculated control. After slaughtering each bird of both groups was subjected to pathological examination of heart, spleen and aorta and also for determining routine haematological parameters. The maximum values of Total Erythrocyte Count (TEC), heterophils and thrombocytes and the minimum values of Total Leukocyte Count (TLC) and Hemoglobin (Hb) content were found in H broiler strain. Percentage of monocytes, basophils and eosinophils also showed maximum decrease in H broiler chicken strain. Gross pathological lesions in the inoculated birds revealed that the heart showed ballooning due to distention of pericardial sac with pericardial fluid. Haemorrhages on the epicardium and flabbiness of the myocardium. Under the microscope, degenerative changes in myocardial tissue were seen. Lesions in the spleen included splenomegaly and haemorrhagic spots. Aorta showed flabbiness of the wall and disruption of endothelium. It is concluded that there is a marked difference in susceptibility of HPS among three different commercial broiler strains. The Hubbard broiler strain is more susceptible which is followed by the Indian River and Lohmann respectively.