Cellulitis in broiler chickens: A one-year retrospective study in four Quebec abattoirs

A l-yr retrospective study was undertaken to verify whether the prevalence of cellulitis in broiler chicken flocks was associated 1) with sex and aver age body weight controlling for the time of year and 2) with some other con demnation causes such as air-sacculitis, ascites, cyanosis, emaciation, val gus varus deformity, peritonitis, and total condemnation rate controlling f or sex, average body weight, and rime of year. Data were collected from fou r Quebec abattoirs between October 1992 and September 1993. Data from 2452 unisex male and female broiler flocks were compiled and analyzed with univa riate and multivariate models. The prevalence of cellulitis among flocks wa s 42.2 per 10,000 birds slaughtered. Cellulitis was associated with sex and increased with time of year (P < 0.0001). The prevalence was higher in mal e (mean <plus/minus> SD, 50.7 +/- 24.3; median, 31.8) than in female flocks (mean +/- SD, 34.2 +/- 15.6; median, 20.0) bur showed no relationship with average body weight. Associations between condemnation causes and cellulit is were relatively weak; increases in the prevalence of cellulitis correlat ed with increases in total condemnation rate (r(2) = 0.19), ascites (r(2) = 0.09), airsacculitis (r(2) = 0.08), cyanosis (r(2) = 0.04), peritonitis (r (2) = 0.03), emaciation (r(2) = 0.02), and valgus varus deformity (r(2) = 0 .02). These results suggest that flock sex is a potential correlate of cell ulitis prevalence in broiler chickens. Associations between the prevalence of cellulitis and other diseases observed at the abattoir were not very str ong. However, it appears here that general disease status of Quebec broiler flocks is a better indicator of cellulitis occurrence than the main diseas es considered individually.