| Abstract: | Troponin T is a specific and sensitive serological indicator of acute myocardial infarction in human patients. The concentration of serum troponin T was measured by an technique in two strains of healthy commercial broiler chickens (Cobb 500 and Ross I) aged between one and 56 days. The concentrations of cardiac-derived troponin T in day-old Cobb and Ross chicks were 5·74 and 8·35 ng ml−1, respectively, and much higher than in 14-day-old chicks. Between 21 and 56 days, the values were consistently lower than the mean troponin T concentration of 0·20 ng ml−1 reported previously in a group of healthy 30-day-old broilers. All the other heart measurements, including the arterial pressure index, were within normal limits. The high troponin T concentrations after hatching are probably due to an embryonic isoform that rapidly becomes replaced by an adult isoform by three weeks of age. The data suggest that in healthy birds, there is an inverse relationship between troponin T concentrations and age. |
