The Incidence of Spontaneous Pathologic Changes in Aortas of Growing Turkeys

Abstract WIDESPREAD occurrence among turkey flocks in the United States and Canada of a fatal condition characterized by massive internal hemorrhage was first reported by Durrell, Pomeroy, Carr and Jerstad (1952). A detailed description of the disorder by McSherry et al. (1954) reported that the large blood clots most commonly originated from a rupture of the posterior aorta between the origins of the external iliac and sciatic arteries. Examination of such aortas indicated that rupture occurred subsequent to a dissecting aneurysm. An apparently similar disorder was reported in Great Britain (Carnaghan, 1955; and Gibson and de Gruchy, 1955). Several workers (Carnaghan, 1955; Gibson and de Gruchy, 1955; and Gresham and Howard, 1961) have reported the presence of atherosclerotic lesions adjacent to the dissecting aneurysms in birds dying with massive abdominal hemorrhage. In fact the presence of accompanying atheroma led Carnaghan (1955) to suggest that these plaques may predispose the aorta to…