Anatomical parameters of cardiopulmonary system in three different lines of chickens: further evidence for involvement in ascites syndrome

Figures & data

Table 1. Mean body weight (g/chicken), change in body weight from days 1 to 42, plasma T3 and T4 levels (ng/ml), the T3/T4 ratio, plasma lactic acid (mg/dl), the RV/TV ratio and ascites mortality of 6-week-old broiler, layer and rural chickens

	Genotype
Parameter	Broiler chickens	Layer chickens	Native chickens	P value
Body weight, newly hatched	42±1^A	37±0.8^B	34±0.9^C	0.0001
Body weight, day 42	2244±137^A	506±24^B	417±25^B	0.0001
Change in body weight^a	52-fold	13-fold	11-fold	–
T3	0.93±0.06^C	2.01±0.18^A	1.48±0.11^A	0.0001
T4	11.1±0.84	7.98±0.18	8.65±0.47	Not significant
T3/T4 ratio	0.09±0.01^B	0.28±0.05^A	0.22±0.03A	0.001
Lactate	22.5±2.9	19.3±1.2	16.3±0.8	Not significant
RV/TV≥0.25^b	7/50	0/50	0/50	–
Ascites^c	4/120	0/120	0/120	–
Values presented as means ± standard error of the mean. ^A, B, C values having different uppercase superscripts within rows are significantly different (P<0.05).
^aChange in body weight from days 1 to 42.
^bNumber of hypertrophied hearts/50 surviving birds at 42 days of age.
^cNumber of ascites mortality/120 birds during the 6 weeks.

Figure 1. Heart weight (HW) and lung weight (LW) as a percentage of body weight (BW) during the 6 weeks of age (1a, 1b), and the change (%) of proportional HW and LW in broiler (B), layer (L) and native (N) chickens between days 1 and 42 (1c, 1d).

Figure 2. Heart volume (HV) and lung volume (LV) as a percentage of body weight (BW) during the 6 weeks of age (2a, 2b), and the change (%) of proportional HV and LV in broiler (B), layer (L) and native (N) chickens between days 1 and 42 (2c, 2d).

Figure 3. Thorax volume before removing the heart and lungs (TV1) and after removing the heart and lungs (TV3) as a percentage of body weight (BW) during the 6 weeks of age (3a, 3b), and the change (%) of proportional TV1 and TV3 in broiler (B), layer (L) and native (N) chickens between days 1 and 42 (3c, 3d). a, b, c, values with different letters within the same age are significantly different (P<0.05).