Abstract

MONROY, L.C  and  HERNANDEZ, A. SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HYPOBARIC HYPOXIA IN A COMMERCIAL STRAIN OF BROILER CHICKENS. Rev. Med. Vet. Zoot. [online]. 2013, vol.60, n.2, pp.86-99. ISSN 0120-2952.

The pulmonary arterial hypertension syndrome (PAH) in broilers due to hypobaric hypoxia generates big economic losses. We studied the effect of exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (2,638 m above sea level) in PAH development in Cobb 500 broilers maintained under controlled temperature conditions. These broilers had lower corporal weight than those raised under relative normoxic conditions (310 m above sea level). At 42 days of age the accumulative mortality was 35.2% in males and 53.8% in females; of these values, 90.6% in males and 96.4% in females were due to PAH. At 33 days of age, 64% of broilers developed PAH (mass cardiac index values > 25), 32% had developed ascites, and 82% only hydropericardium. Higher mortality was encountered between the weeks three and five of age. Ascites may or may be not present in affected chickens and hydropericardium alone is related to PAH. PAH may occur at any age, and cardiac index values are not time dependent. Susceptibility to develop PAH is an individual factor related to poor genetic adaptation. Therefore, individual susceptibility determines the possibilities to compensate the effects of hypoxia, the PAH characteristics, as related to its duration. The 36% of chickens exposed to hypobaric hypoxia had a good productive performance; these resistant animals should be the target in programs for genetic selection.

Keywords : hypoxia; pulmonary arterial hypertension; broilers chickens; susceptibility.

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