Observations on cardiac glycogen in spontaneous round heart disease.

Levels of cardiac glycogen were determined by biochemical assays in turkey poults from an experimental flock with a known high incidence of round heart disease. Levels of cardiac glycogen were significantly higher (p < .05) than in commercial turkeys, but not significantly different in the turkeys that developed spontaneous round heart disease. The high level of cardiac glycogen in the poults of the experimental flock may be a manifestation of abnormal glycogen metabolism, but has an unclear role, if any, in the development of the round heart syndrome.