Mutalib A, Holland M, Barnes H J, Boyle C
College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State 39762, USA.
Avian Dis. 1996 Apr-Jun;40(2):321-5.
One thousand turkey legs were examined for osteomyelitis (OM) by ultrasonographic, pathologic, and bacteriologic examinations. OM lesions were recognized as hyperechoic (brighter white) disruptions in cortical bone in the growth plate region by ultrasound examination OM was confirmed histologically in 139 of 1000 legs. OM was detected by ultrasound in 109 of 139 OM-positive legs for a sensitivity rate of 78%. OM was not detected by ultrasound in 713 of the 861 OM-negative legs for a specificity rate of 83%. Ultrasonography was superior to current use of green liver discoloration for detection of tibial OM in turkeys at processing. The economic benefit to the turkey industry from the approval and application of this procedure could be considerable.
