Distribution of arthritis and osteomyelitis in turkeys with green liver discoloration

The distribution of arthritis and osteomyelitis (OM) was studied in turkeys with green liver (GL) discoloration collected in a processing plant; the turkeys originated from seven commercial farms. Overall occurrence of GL, arthritis, and OM in the 25,320 inspected toms was 264 (1.04%), 123 (0.49%), and 107 (0.42%), respectively, and in the 16,690 inspected hens was 24 (0.14%), 0%, and 13 (0.08%), respectively. Prevalence of GL, OM, and arthritis varied among the studied farms. Arthritis and/or OM were detected in 168 (58.3%) of 288 turkeys with green discolored livers. Of the 168 turkeys with OM and/or arthritis, 48 (28.6%) had only arthritis, 45 (26.8%) had OM only, and 75 (44.6%) had both lesions. Arthritis and OM were detected in single and multiple sites and were unilateral and bilateral. Distribution of OM in the 120 OM-positive turkeys with and without arthritis was 77 (64.2%) in proximal tibia, 29 (24.2%) in proximal humerus, 28 (23.3%) in proximal femur, 13 (10.8%) in rib cage, and 4 (3.3%) in distal femur. Distribution of arthritis in the 123 arthritis-positive turkeys with and without OM was 77 (62.6%) in shoulder, 45 (36.6%) in stifle, and 25 (20.3%) in hip joints. Findings in this study suggest that arthritis and osteomyelitis are two distinct lesions and that they may develop independently in the same bird.