Gross and histopathological evaluation of runting stunting syndrome in a broiler farm

A poultry farmer reported a case of abnormal growth among 17 to 25 days old broilers chicks in his farm

to the poultry Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Malaysia Kelantan. The housing system

was a modified closed type with a total of 130,000; 10,000 birds per house. The clinical signs observed

were damp feathers which are poorly developed, stunted growth, watery droppings containing undigested

feeds and unequal sizes of chicks. Post mortem examination was conducted on thirty culled chicks and the

gross lesions observed were; corrugated intestines (83.3%) with some being thin and translucent with

poorly digested feed within the lumen, atrophied pancreas (70.0%) and liver (66.7%), slightly atrophied

thymus (33.3%), dilated proventriculus (50.3%) and enlarged gall bladder (43.3%). Histopathological

evaluation of the intestine and pancreas showed lesions such a cystic dilation and degeneration of

intestinal crypts, degeneration of the pancreas with vacuolation in the paranchyma and atrophy of the

acinar cells. Based on the clinical signs observed, post mortem lesions and the histopathological findings,

the case was diagnosed as Runting Stunting Syndrome (RSS). There is no treatment for this syndrome and

it can only be prevented through good management practices.