The effect of chronic feeding of diacetoxyscirpenol and T-2 toxin on performance, health, small intestinal physiology and antibody production in turkey poults.
1. The effects of feeding T-2 toxin or diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) at levels up to 1 ppm for 32 d on performance, health, small intestinal physiology and immune response to enteral and parenteral immunisation were examined in young poults. 2. Slight improvement in growth was observed in some groups of poults fed T-2 or DAS mycotoxins for 32 d, with no change in feed efficiency. Feeding both T-2 and DAS resulted in oral lesions which had maximal severity after 7-15 d. 3. Mild intestinal changes were observed at 32 d but no pathological or histopathological lesions were found. Both mycotoxins altered small intestinal morphology, especially in the jejunum where villi were shorter and thinner. In addition, both DAS and T-2 mycotoxins enhanced the proportion of proliferating cells both in the crypts and along the villi. Migration rates were reduced in the jejunum of poults fed T-2 toxin but did not change in the duodenum or in poults fed DAS. 4. No significant effects of T-2 or DAS were observed on antibody production to antigens administered by enteral or parenteral routes. 5. This study indicates that tricothecene toxins at concentrations of up to 1 ppm for more than 30 d influenced small intestinal morphology but did not affect growth or antibody production.
Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalenm, Rehovot, Israel. sklan@agri.huji.ac.il
D
D
Sklan
M
M
Shelly
B
B
Makovsky
A
A
Geyra
E
E
Klipper
A
A
Friedman
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004032:Diet; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008871:Microvilli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D013605:T-2 Toxin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014255:Trichothecenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014422:Turkeys
D009183:Mycotoxins; D014255:Trichothecenes; D013605:T-2 Toxin; C001809:diacetoxyscirpenol