Poultry bone disorders

摘要

The skeleton provides the physical support for and determines the shape of the body, and its mineral fraction serves as a calcium reservoir that is used for the maintenance of the extracellular Ca~(2+) concentration. Calcium concentration is of utmost importance in the management of normal cellular function and of intracellular information processing. Bone growth is controlled by a precise mechanism, as can be inferred from the near-symmetry of the limbs and the hereditary element of adult height. Any deviation from normal bone growth will result in bone disorders that are a major economic problem to the poultry industry (Sullivan, 1994). Several extensive reviews have been written during the last few years, describing various aspects of poultry bone disorders (Orth and Cook 1994; Julian 1998; Cook, 2000; Edwards, 2000; Rath et al., 2000; Pines et al., 2004). The aim of this presentation is to provide an introduction to the field, and by no means to cover all aspects of poultry bone disorders.