Effects of feeding Fusarium fujikuroi culture material, containing known levels of moniliformin, in young broiler chicks.
An experiment was conducted with 270 male broiler chicks to evaluate the effects of a Fusarium fujikuroi M-1214 culture material containing moniliformin (M) on broiler chicks. Day-old chicks were allotted randomly to dietary treatments containing 0, .24, .48, .72, .96, 1.44, 1.92, 2.40, and 2.88% M culture material (MCM). These levels of MCM supplied 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300 mg M/kg of feed. Each dietary treatment was fed to six pen replicates of five chicks per pen for 21 d. Significant mortality (P < .05) occurred in chicks fed 200 (8 out of 30), 250 (17 out of 30), and 300 (25 out of 30) mg M/kg feed. Chicks fed > 100 mg M/kg had lower (P < .05) feed intakes and smaller BW gains (P < .05) than controls. Increased heart weights (P < .05) were observed in chicks fed > 50 mg M/kg, and increased liver weights (P < .05) in chicks fed > 100 mg M/kg. Gross lesions of M toxicity included generalized cardiomegaly with dilation of the right ventricle. Histopathology revealed a high incidence of large and variably shaped cardiomyocyte nuclei and a generalized loss of cardiomyocyte cross striations in chicks fed > 75 and 200 mg M/kg, respectively. Results indicated that F. fujikuroi culture material containing M is toxic to young broiler chicks.
Ledoux
D R
DR
Fusarium/Poultry Research Laboratory, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211, USA.
Bermudez
A J
AJ
Rottinghaus
G E
GE
Broomhead
J
J
Bennett
G A
GA
D000818:Animals; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D003503:Cyclobutanes / Q000506:poisoning*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005670:Fusarium; D008297:Male; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000506:poisoning*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
D003503:Cyclobutanes; D009183:Mycotoxins; C008539:moniliformin