A highly fatal vascular disease of broiler breeder chickens.

A broiler breeder operation experienced a sudden outbreak of high mortality in nine different houses of breeders at eight different locations. In the first house to be affected, the losses were mainly in the females, but later flocks had losses up to 6.4%, mainly in the males. Affected chickens ranged in age from 7 to 22.5 weeks. Multifocal areas of necrosis and vasculitis were found in skin, muscle, and internal organs. No involvement of the brain was identified, but many of the birds had uveitis. The outbreak lasted 3 weeks and ended without treatment. Neither infectious agents nor mycotoxins were identified.