Investigation of problems associated with intramuscular breast injection of oil-adjuvanted killed vaccines in chickens

Case submissions and a field investigation indicated that oil-adjuvanted killed vaccines may produce long-lived residual lesions in chickens. The lesions typically are yellow opaque cysts along the fascial planes separating the superficial and deep pectoral muscles. Microscopic evaluation shows that most lesions are cysts with thin fibrous capsules, sometimes associated with lymphocytic aggregates and, more rarely, a granulomatous reaction.