Acute phase proteins in the domestic fowl

Post-mortem assessment of poultry health requires both identification and c lassification of the severity and chronicity of lesions. Such assessments a re essential for deciding the necessity for treatment or its withdrawal. Po ultry meat inspection and routine necropsies are also complicated by subcli nical as well as hidden inflammatory processes which result in decreased pr oduction. Measurement of changes in the plasma levels of hepatic acute phas e proteins in mammalian species is known to give an indication of the stage and severity of inflammatory processes as well as identifying inaccessible lesions. For poultry, several papers have been published on the plasma cha nges of some acute phase proteins in association with some common poultry d iseases and general inflammatory processes. Some have corresponded well wit h the severity and stages of lesions. It is suggested that measurement of s uch proteins could be used to complement routine necropsy findings. Underst anding the chicken acute phase response, major acute phase proteins present , and their advantages and shortfalls as markers of inflammation, is paramo unt to the achievement of these goals.