Crazy chick disease

In growing chicks, a deficiency can result in (i) encephalomalacia or crazy chick disease (ii) exudative diathesis, an oedema caused by excessive capillary permeability or (iii) muscular dystrophy. Encephalomalacia occurs when the diet contains unsaturated fats that are susceptible to rancidity. Some antioxidants, in addition to vitamin E, are also effective against encephalomalacia. Exudative diathesis is prevented by dietary selenium, and muscular dystrophy is a complex disease influenced by vitamin E, selenium, and the... 

Vitamin E deficiency in chicks may lead to a munber of distinct diseases myopathy, encephalomalacia and exudative diathesis. In nutritional myopathy the main muscles affected are the pectorals, although the leg muscles also may be involved. Nutritional encephalomalacia, or crazy chick disease , is a condition in which the chick is imable to walk or stand and is accompanied by haemorrhages and necrosis of brain cells. Exudative diathesis is a vascular disease of chicks characterised by a generahsed oedema of the subcutaneous fatty tissues, associated with an abnormal permeabUity of the capUlary walls. Both selenium and vitamin E appear to be involved in nutritional myopathy and in exudative diathesis, but the element does not seem to be important in nutritional encephalomacia. It should be stressed that sele-niiun itself is a very toxic element and care is required in its use as a dietary additive. The toxic natine of seleniiun is discussed in Chapter 7. 

The existence of a hitherto unknown dietary factor essential for reproduction was described by Evans and Bishop in 1922 and in subsequent papers. It was discovered first in the rat, and detailed studies of the effect of the deficiency in this animal were carried out by Mason. Later Goettsch and Pappenheimer described vitamin E deficiency in guinea pigs and rabbits, and in 1931 they attributed "crazy chick disease to a deficiency of this vitamin. Anderson et al found that dogs appeared to need vitamin E in their diet. 

Fig. V-52. Left White muscie disease in a iamb, showing characteristic whitish areas or streaks in the heart. (Courtesy, Oregon State University) Right A chick with nutritionai encephaiomaiacia (crazy chick disease), due to a iack of vitamin E. Note the head retraction and ioss of controi of iegs. (Courtesy, Department of Pouitry Science, Corneii University) Note, too, top food sources of vitamin E.

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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