title: The impact of contamination by organochlorine insecticides on poultry nutrition and feeding.
abstract: Nutrient interactions with organochlorine insecticides have been described primarily for vitamin A and protein. Storage of liver vitamin A is reduced by DDT and dieldrin. Low protein diets protect rats from heptachlor toxicity, whereas the toxicity of DDT, dieldrin and lindane is reduced by increasing the quantity and quality of diet protein intake. Biological performance of poultry is adversely affected by 50 to 500 ppm of most of these compounds. Hatchability of eggs and survival of chicks from hens fed insecticides are usually the most sensitive parameters of toxicity. Higher levels of DDT decrease thyroid activity. While several insecticides reduce egg shell thickness in wild birds, such changes are not observed in poultry. Extensive low level contamination of poultry tissues and eggs results from the organochlorine insecticides, with the exception of methoxychlor where tissue residues are not a problem. Tissue and egg accumulation of residues is related to dose but quantitatively different for each organochlorine compound. Tissue withdrawal and excretion takes place slowly and most of the compounds are metabolized by liver hydroxylating enzymes to various derivatives that are also stored in the body. In one case (heptachlor epoxide), the oxidation product is more toxic than the body. In one case (heptachlor epoxide), the oxidation product is more toxic than the parent compound.
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D003296:Cooking; D003634:DDT / Q000494:pharmacology; D004528:Egg Shell / Q000187:drug effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007306:Insecticides; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011200:Poultry; D051381:Rats; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007306:Insecticides; D014801:Vitamin A; D003634:DDT