Posted: February 2nd, 2009 - 8:14pm by Doug Powell

My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal last evening at the Mancini household as my mother cooked up some pasta and turkey, absolutely delicious. 

The turkey, however, reminded me of a past complaint I received at work (health inspections). The family was complaining of a nasty looking abscesses deep within the muscles of the turkey. 

Though not a bacterial infection, it is certainly not the prettiest thing one would want to have on the dinner plate. The most probable diagnosis is deep pectoral myopathy of turkeys as suggested by my veterinarian friend. 

These deep pectoral muscles assist in elevating the wings and after prolonged flapping, the muscle swells and becomes necrotic. Ugly to look at, but not a health concern. Still, I wouldn’t have eaten it. A good review on this type of pathology was done by: Siller WG. Deep pectoral myopathy: a penalty of successful selection for muscle growth. Poult Sci. 1985 Aug; 64(8):1591-5.