title: Effects of dietary Fusarium mycotoxins on intestinal lymphocyte subset populations, cell proliferation and histological changes in avian lymphoid organs.
abstract: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary Fusarium mycotoxins on gut immunity, cell proliferation, and histology of avian lymphoid organs. The efficacy of a polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent (GMA) was also determined. Seventy-two one-day-old male turkey poults were fed corn, wheat, and soybean meal-based diets for 21 days. Diets included control grains, contaminated grains and contaminated grains +0.2% GMA. The major contaminant was deoxynivalenol (3.9 μg/g) with lesser amounts of zearalenone (0.67-0.75 μg/g), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (0.34 μg/g) and HT-2 toxin (0.078-0.085 μg/g). T- and B-lymphocyte populations and crypt cellular proliferation in duodenum, jejunum, ileum and cecal tonsil were measured immunohistochemically on day 14 and 21. Histological changes were recorded after 14 and 21 days of feeding. Feeding contaminated grains significantly increased the percentage of B-lymphocytes in ileum on day 14, and reduced (P<0.05) the percentages of CD8(+)-lymphocytes in cecal tonsil on day 21. GMA supplementation prevented these effects. The feeding of contaminated diets also caused a reduction (P<0.05) in ileal crypt proliferating cells and a significant increase in spleen secondary follicle on day 21. It was concluded that the feeding of grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins results in adverse effects on gut immunity and mucosal cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Girish
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Boermans
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anil Kumar
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Girgis
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004032:Diet; D005670:Fusarium / Q000737:chemistry*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008351:Mannans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D015651:Mycotoxicosis / Q000276:immunology; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D014422:Turkeys / Q000502:physiology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D008351:Mannans; D009183:Mycotoxins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; C022901:(1-6)-alpha-glucomannan