[Bacteriological and physicochemical studies of the meat from poultry with acute Marek's disease]

Studied were bacteriologically a total of 114 birds affected with acute Marek's disease (40 broilers, 44 growing layers, and 30 adult layers) as well as 100 healthy control birds of the same three categories. A chemical analysis was performed of the red and white meat of 20 of the diseased pullets and 20 of the diseased adult layers as well as of 34 of the affected broilers. The investigation included the same numbers of the control birds. Extractions of the sampled meat were studied in terms of catalase number, pH value, and peroxydase activity. It was found that enterobacteria in the viscera of the diseased birds were three to nine times more frequently encountered than in the same organs of the controls. In two cases Salmonella bacteria were also isolated from the affected chickens. In three cases there were enterobacteria in the red musculature of these birds. The meat of the diseased birds had higher water content, higher catalase number and pH value, with lower contents of proteins, fats, and mineral matter. The only exception was the red meat of these birds which had higher content of crude protein as compared with the red meat of the normal birds.