Poliomyelomalacia, pancreatic necrosis, and cerebellar malacia in turkey poults

Two-to-5-week-old turkey poults from three large Minnesota flocks exhibited ataxia, flaccid paralysis, and up to 5% mortality as unexpected death. The major post-mortem finding was cerebellar hemorrhage and softening detected in 22 of 89 clinically affected poults. Histologic findings were severe focal or multifocal poliomyelomalacia in the lumbosacral intumescentia of the spinal cord, cerebellar malacia, and single-cell or multifocal coagulative necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells. Thirty of 32 clinically affected poults examined had microscopic spinal cord lesions, 12 of 48 had cerebellar lesions, and 26 of 47 had pancreatic lesions. Gross and microscopic cerebellar lesions resembled those of vitamin E deficiency in chicks. Hepatic selenium levels were approximately twice normal expected levels for poults.