Table 49.
Adverse effects of broiler chickens exposed to DON in feed
| Animals (age) | n | Concentration (mg/kg feed) | Toxin source | Exposure time | Effects | LOAEL (mg/kg feed) | NOAEL (mg/kg feed) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studies reported in EFSA (2004) | ||||||||
| Ross (day 1) | 45 | 1.8–5.4 | Contaminated maize | 37 days | Increased heart weight | n.a. | 3.6 | Leitgeb et al. (1999) |
| Broiler chicks (day 1) | 36 | 16 | Contaminated wheat | 21 days | No effect on feed intake, body weight gain or other parameters measured | n.a. | 16 | Harvey et al. (1997) |
| White Leghorn (day 1) | 100 | 0, 18 | Contaminated wheat | 12 weeks | Reduced body weight after 4 and 8 weeks, but not 12 weeks, increased relative gizzard weight, decreased haemoglobin at 4 weeks, but not after 8 and 12 weeks | 18 | n.a. | Kubena and Harvey (1988) |
| White Plymouth Rock x White Cornish (day 1) | 240 | 0.1–3.4 | Contaminated oats | 35 days | No effect on feed intake, body weight gain or meat quality | n.a. | 3.4 | Bergsjö and Kaldhusdal (1994) |
| Hubbard x Hubbard (day 1) | 0, 16 | 0, 16 | Contaminated wheat | 3 weeks | Reduced body weight gain, increased feed:body weight gain ratio, relative gizzard weight and relative bursa weight | 16 | n.a. | Kubena et al. (1989) |
| Hubbard xHubbard)(day 1) | 60 | 0, 16ad libitum | Contaminated wheat | 3 weeks | Reduced body weight gain, increased feed:body weight gain ratio, increased relative gizzard weight, increased red blood cell count and serum phosphorus, decreased mean corpuscular haemoglobin and glucose | 16 | n.a. | Kubena et al. (1988) |
| White Leghorn(day 1) | 51 | 0, 9, 18 | Contaminated wheat | 35 days | Reduced liver weight, increased gizzard weight, temporary decreased plasma triglycerides, glucose, increased creatinine, increased plasma haemoglobin and temporary red blood cells | 9 | n.a. | Kubena et al. (1985) |
| White Leghorn(day 1 to egg production) | 30 | 0, 18ad libitum | Contaminated wheat | 48 weeks | Small significant increase in shell weight, shell thickness, decrease in serum uric acid, glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol and increase in serum γ‐glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase | 18 | n.a. | Kubena et al. (1987a) |
| White Leghorn(day 7) | 50 | 0–0.7 | Contaminated wheat | 14 days | No significant effect on feed intake, body weight gain or other parameters measured (control feed composition differed from the contaminated diet) | n.a. | 0.7 | Hamilton et al. (1985) |
| White Leghorn(day 7) | 50 | 3.1–4.1 | Contaminated wheat | 28 days | Increased feed intake, body weight gain and feed:gain ratio or no apparent lesions in oral activity or other parameters measured (control feed composition different from the contaminated diet) | n.a. | 4.1 | |
| White Leghorn(day 1) | 60, | 0, 18 | Contaminated wheat | 18 and 9 weeks | Reduced immune response to vaccine reduced mitogen‐induced lymphoblastogenesis | 18 | n.a. | Harvey et al. (1991) |
| Hubbard × Hubbard and white Leghorn(day 1) | 10 | 0, 50 | Pure toxin | 9 weeks | Reduced response to mitogens in female broiler chickens, no effect in male broiler chickens or in leghorn chickens of either gender | 50 | n.a. | |
| White mountain × Hubbard(6 days) | 24 | 0–210 | Contaminated maize | 5 days | Increased feed conversion, reversible concentration‐dependent increase in oral and gizzard epithelial lesions | 49.4 | n.a. | Moran et al. (1982), |
| Reduced feed intake | n.a. | 116.1 | ||||||
| Shaver (day 1) | 18 × 2 | < 0.2–1.87 | Contaminated wheat | 28 days | No effect on feed intake, body weight gain, liver or kidney | n.a. | 1.89 | Hulan and Proudfoot (1982) |
| Hubbard × Hubbard (day 1) | 60 | 0, 16 | Contaminated wheat | 3 weeks | Reduced body weight, increased feed efficiency, increased relative gizzard weight, anaemia, decreased lactate dehydrogenase and serum triglycerides | 16 | n.a. | Huff et al. (1986) |
| White Leghorn × Single Comb (26 weeks) | 10 | 0, 83 | Contaminated wheat | 27 days | Small erosions in the gizzard, no other pathological changes | 83 | n.a. | Lun et al. (1986) |
| Different types | 3 | 0–0.70 | Contaminated wheat | 86 or 135 days | Increased liver triglycerides and total liver lipid at 0.35 mg/kg, not at 0.70 mg/kg | n.a. | Farnworth et al. (1983) | |
| Studies identified after EFSA (2004) | ||||||||
| Lohmann (1 day) | 64 | 0, 3.5, 7, 10.5, 14 | Contaminated wheat | 3–5 weeks | Decreased spleen weight, reduced body weight gain, decreased Newcastle Disease Virus vaccine response | 10.5 | 7 | Dänicke et al. (2003) |
| Ross (1 day) | 95 | 0, 10 | Toxin added to feed | 6 weeks | No effects on feed intake or body weight gain or other zootechnical parameters, alteration of intestinal morphology | 10 | n.a. | Awad et al. (2004, 2006) |
| Ross (1 day) | 8 | 0, 10 | Toxin added to feed | 5 weeks | Reduced feed intake, reduced body weight gain during the first 2 weeks, reduced total lymphocyte count, decreased Infectious Bronchitis Virus vaccine response | 10 | n.a. | Ghareeb et al. (2012, 2014) |
| Ross (1 day) | 15 | 0.9, 5 | Contaminated wheat | 7 weeks | Reduced feed intake, reduced body weight, body weight gain during the first 2 weeks but not later, relative weight of organs not altered, in the jejunum the villi were shorter but the villi width not modified | n.a. | 5 | Awad et al. (2011) |
| Ross (7 day) | 25 | 0.3, 1.7, 12 | Contaminated culture medium added to feed | 5 weeks | Reduced feed intake, reduced of body weight gain and alteration of intestinal morphology during the first 3 weeks, no zootechnical effects at the end of the experiment | 12 | n.a. | Yunus et al. (2012a,2012b) |
| Ross (3 weeks) | 8 | 2.4, 7.5 | Toxin added to feed | 3 weeks | No effects on feed intake or body weight gain or other zootechnical parameters at the end of the experiment | n.a. | 7.5 | Osselaere et al. (2012, 2013a) |
| Ross (1 day) | 56 | 0.2–4.6 | Contaminated culture medium added to feed | 2 weeks | No effects on feed conversion ratio and body weight gain | n.a. | 4.6 | Antonissen et al. (2015) |