Maize grains contaminated with fumonisin, a metabolite of Fusarium verticillioides was incorporated into matured male rabbits' diet to evaluate its effects on performance, haematology and serum biochemistry in rabbits. Thirty individually caged crossbred adult rabbit bucks averaging 1.36 +/- 0.01 kg (about 22-24-week-old) were randomly allotted to three treatment diets comprising a control diet (containing 0.35 +/- 0.02 mg fumonisin/kg) and two test diets containing 12.30 +/- 0.16 and 24.56 +/- 0.14 mg fumonisin/kg, constituting treatments 1 (low infection), 2 (medium infection) and 3 (high infection), respectively, in a five-week feeding trial. Results showed that the dry matter intake (DMI) (g/rabbit) at the end of the feeding trial was significantly (P < 0.05) influenced. The DMI declined with increasing dietary fumonisin by a significant 80% and 95% (P < 0.05) for high and medium levels of dietary fumonisin, respectively, relative to the mean weekly DMI of 609.93 +/- 45.08 g by rabbits fed diet with low level of fumonisin. The weekly weight gain tended to decrease with increased dietary fumonisin levels, while the haematological and serum biochemical components examined, were not statistically influenced among the diets when fed to male rabbits for a period of 5 weeks.

The effects of micro doses of dietary fumonisin, a metabolite of Fusarium verticillioides, on spermatogenesis, gonadal sperm reserves and fertility of rabbits were studied. Relative paired testis weight; sperm production rate and sperm storage potential were not adversely affected in rabbits which were exposed to varied minute levels of dietary fumonisin of about 153-161 µg/kg body weight/day over a period of 8 weeks. The toxin also failed to exert any influence (P>0.05) on seminiferous tubular diameter and volume percent of testicular elements. Male fertility as evidenced by conception rate, litter size and embryo survival and normalcy was also not affected (P>0.05). However, the frequency of occurrence of stages II and VIII of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium were significantly (P<0.05) influenced with increased dietary fumonisin levels. The results suggest that the ingestion of Fusarium-infected feed that would result in the liberation of about 153 µg of fumonisin/kg of body weight per day for a short time may not influence spermatogenesis, fertility in the male or the normalcy of the resulting foetuses.

Research Article IJAR (2019) 3:22 Gonadal, extra gonadal sperm reserve and daily sperm production of breeder cocks fed graded levels of dietary fumonisin B1 Fumonisin B1 (FB1), a secondary metabolite of the fungus fusarium verticillioides is known to be consumed by farm animals and has been reported to be associated with various farm animal diseases. To account for potential reproductive effects \of fumonisin in cocks meant for breeding purpose, sixty pre-pubertal breeder cocks of about 16 weeks of age were randomly assigned to four diets containing 0.2, 5.2, 10.2 and 15.2mg FB1/ kg constituting diets 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. After 16 weeks of feeding trial all the pubertal cocks were sacrificed. Their testes and epididimydes were carefully dissected, removed, weighed and recorded. The left and right organs were homogenized separately. Dietary FB1 did not significantly (p> 0.05) influence both the gonadal and extra gonadal weights of the cock. The gonadal sperm reserves (GSR) of cocks fed the control diet (5.54x 107/ testis) was significantly superior (p<0.05) to those fed diet 4 (2.66 X 107/ testis). Expressing the GSR on per gram of testis basis, cocks fed with the control diet had a significantly higher value when compared with cocks fed diet 4. The GSR in the left testis both on per testis and gram of testis bases was superior to those of the right testis. The dietary FB1 levels significantly decreased the extra gonadal sperm reserves (ESR) of the cocks which ranged from 4.21X107/epididymis for cocks on diet 1 to 1.33X 107 /epididymis for cocks fed diet 4. The daily sperm production (DSP) of the cocks both on per testis and per gram testis were significantly reduced as the inclusion levels of dietary FB1 increased. The DSP of cocks fed diet 4 were half the DSP of cocks fed the control diet. The study revealed that cocks intended for breeding purpose should not be exposed to dietary FB1 higher than 10.2 ppm FB1 for optimum reproductive performance.