The condition affects up to 10 per cent of chickens and has
emerged as a major issue for the industry.
The researchers have found that the first stage of the
condition involves inflammation of the veins in the breast tissue and
accumulation of lipid around the affected veins. That is followed over time by
muscle cell death and replacement by fibrous and fatty tissue.
Initial investigations of the disease focused more on
chickens at market age of six to eight weeks; few studies looked into early
onset.
What remains to be determined is a way to avoid the problem.
