Muscular Degeneration in Chickens Fed Diets Low in Vitamin E and Sulfur

Abstract

Chickens fed diets low in vitamin E and sulfur to 4 weeks of age developed a muscular degeneration manifested grossly as white striations of the breast and leg muscles, and microscopically as a hyaline type degeneration. No significant changes were noted in the tissues of the gizzard, heart, liver, pancreas, kidney or spleen. The addition of alpha tocopheryl-acetate, methionine, cystine, or a high level of diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) (0.25%) to the diets completely prevented muscular degeneration. Addition of 0.5% of sodium sulfate slightly reduced the incidence of muscular degeneration. However supplements of brewers' yeast, tryptophan, chlorotetracycline, inositol, taurine or thioctic acid had no effect on this pathological alteration.