Wooden breast lesions in broiler chickens in the UK

Summary

This communication reports the presence of wooden breast lesions in broiler chickens in the United Kingdom, a condition previously identified in Finland that causes significant economic losses through muscle downgrading at slaughter. All five pectoralis major muscle samples examined showed characteristic histopathological changes including multifocal muscular degeneration, necrosis, and interstitial fibrosis with lymphocytic aggregates. The authors note considerable overlap with white striping and call for larger prevalence studies to establish the economic importance of wooden breast in the UK.

UK applicability

This study directly demonstrates that wooden breast is present in UK broiler production. The findings are immediately applicable to UK poultry health and food safety considerations, though larger epidemiological studies are acknowledged as necessary to determine the true scale and economic impact of the condition in UK commercial flocks.

Key measures

Histopathological examination of muscle tissue; presence and severity of muscular degeneration, necrosis, interstitial fibrosis, adipose tissue infiltration, and lymphocytic aggregates

Outcomes reported

The study identified and characterised wooden breast lesions in five broiler chicken pectoralis major muscle samples collected from UK slaughterhouses between October 2014 and April 2015 through histological examination. All samples exhibited moderate to severe multifocal polyphasic muscular degeneration, necrosis, interstitial fibrosis, and lymphocytic aggregates consistent with wooden breast pathology.

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