School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK.
Vet J. 2013 Jun;196(3):477-82. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.12.007. Epub 2013 Jan 11.
Leg health of intensively reared broiler chickens is a significant problem, yet little is known regarding the nature of lameness-associated pain. Kinematic changes in gait have been reported in naturally lame broilers following subcutaneous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) administration, compared to a placebo group. In the current study, an extensive range of gait parameters were defined using a commercial motion-capturing system to record three-dimensional temporospatial information from walking broilers pre- and post-treatment. Data analysis, performed using multi-level models, revealed gait modifications in broilers receiving NSAID, but not in those receiving saline. The effect of walking velocity was accounted for retrospectively. An increase in velocity following NSAID treatment (carprofen: P<0.001; meloxicam: P=0.044) indicated improved walking ability. For several measures, the polarity of the treatment effect depended upon walking speed. At slow speeds certain parameters become more like those of non-lame broilers, which may have been indicative of improved stability: stride length and duration (both NSAIDs), transverse back displacement (meloxicam), and vertical leg displacement (carprofen). However, these same parameters also revealed that NSAID treatment caused imbalance at faster speeds, which may have signified an excessive dosage. Although doses employed were not conclusively effective, evidence was provided that factors besides body conformation influenced mobility in the test cohort. The study showed that the model would be useful in future studies to increase our understanding of pain associated with specific lameness types in broiler chickens.
笼养肉鸡的腿部健康是一个重大问题，但对于与跛行相关的疼痛的性质知之甚少。与安慰剂组相比，自然跛行的肉鸡在皮下给予非甾体抗炎药 (NSAID) 后，其步态的运动学变化已有报道。在当前的研究中，使用商业运动捕捉系统定义了广泛的步态参数，以记录治疗前后行走肉鸡的三维时空信息。使用多级模型进行数据分析，发现接受 NSAID 治疗的肉鸡的步态发生了改变，但接受生理盐水治疗的肉鸡没有改变。对步行速度的影响进行了回顾性分析。NSAID 治疗后（卡洛芬：P<0.001；美洛昔康：P=0.044）速度增加表明行走能力得到改善。对于几个措施，治疗效果的极性取决于步行速度。在较慢的速度下，某些参数变得更像非跛行肉鸡的参数，这可能表明稳定性得到了改善：步长和步幅持续时间（两种 NSAID）、横向背部位移（美洛昔康）和垂直腿部位移（卡洛芬）。然而，这些相同的参数也表明 NSAID 治疗在较快的速度下导致了不平衡，这可能意味着剂量过高。尽管所使用的剂量没有明确的效果，但有证据表明，除了体型因素外，还有其他因素会影响测试队列中的移动性。该研究表明，该模型将有助于未来的研究，以增加我们对肉鸡特定跛行类型相关疼痛的理解。
