Markedly reduced pancreatic glucagon levels in broiler chickens with spiking mortality syndrome.

Pancreata from 19 hypoglycemic field broilers with spiking mortality syndrome and 19 clinically normal field broilers with normal blood glucose levels were collected and quick-frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after the chicks were bled and killed. All chicks were 16 days old and were of the same genetic cross. Pancreata were weighed, and acid-alcohol extractions were made on each specimen. Radioimmunoassays for glucagon levels were made on each extract. Mean pancreatic glucagon content of the hypoglycemic chicks was depressed 14-fold (93.1%) compared with that of the non-hypoglycemic group. There was a close correlation between plasma glucose levels and pancreatic glucagon levels (P = 0.0001).