Muscular Dystrophy in Man and Duck

Abstract

A spontaneously occurring myopathy that resembles in many ways muscular dystrophy in man has been observed in a strain of white Pekin ducks.^1,2Of these ducks, 10% developed contractures, usually between the 7th and 21st day of life, in one or both extremities.³Many had muscular weakness and morphologic changes in the muscle without contractures. The histologic lesions in the striated muscle were characterized by focal areas of necrosis within individual muscle fibers.^1-3Genetic studies now in progress would suggest that transmittal does occur. A variety of agents have produced degenerative lesions in the striated muscle of different laboratory animals: irradiation,^4,5a chemical,⁶bacterial infections,⁷viruses,⁸vitamin deficiency,⁹and massive doses of cortisone.^10,11A genetic disease has been described in which there are degenerative lesions in the striated muscle of the mouse,¹²hamster,^13,14and chicken.^15-17 Progressive muscular dystrophy