Neural Disturbances in Chickens Caused by Dietary T-2 Toxin

Abstract

Graded concentrations of dietary T-2 toxin (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 μg/g) were fed to groups of 40 chickens. T-2 toxin was found to cause an abnormal positioning of the wings, hysteroid seizures, and impaired righting reflex in young chickens. The abnormal wing positioning occurred spontaneously or as the result of dropping from a height of 1 meter. The seizures could be elicited by rough handling or loud noises. The seizures and the abnormal wing posture would not occur again when the stimulus was repeated unless a rest period of 3 to 6 h was allowed. The loss of righting reflex could be demonstrated at any time. The total incidence of neural symptoms was dependent on the length of exposure to T-2 toxin and to its concentration. Neural toxicity occurred at dosages of 4, 8, and 16 μg per g of diet, which are the same doses that retard growth. This neural toxicity of T-2 toxin in chickens is similar to the neural disturbances associated with alimentary toxic aleukia, a nutritional toxicosis of humans produced by eating moldy grain. T-2 toxin has been implicated also in moldy corn toxicosis which has neural manifestations in horses and swine.

Differential Effects of Green Tea Powders on the Protection of Brown Tsaiya and Kaiya Ducklings against Trichothecene T-2 Toxin Toxicity

“…During the 3-week brooding period of BTD and KD, all ducklings were fed the same basal diet supplemented with various levels of T-2 and/or GTP as follows: basal diet without T-2 and GTP (control group), basal diet with GTP (0.5% GTP), low T-2 diet (0.5 mg T-2/kg), low T-2 diet with 0.5% GTP, high T-2 diet (5 mg T-2/kg), and high T-2 diet with 0.5% GTP. The T-2 concentration was designated to show the phenotypic T-2 toxicity and the experimental period was the length of the regular brooding period [ 10 , 11 , 46 ]. Moreover, 120 1-day-old female BTDs were obtained from the hatchery of the Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University (Taichung, Taiwan).…”

Implicación de las Fusariotoxinas en la producción avícola. Revisión

“…El efecto sobre sistema nervioso se da por la inhibición de síntesis proteica, lo cual conlleva al aumento de la concentración del aminoácido triptófano, precursor de serotonina, aumentando a su vez la concentración de esta última, ocasionando así la activación de neuronas serotonérgicas (18,35) . La presencia sinérgica de DON con toxina T-2 puede incrementar este efecto, y observarse anorexia, problemas locomotores y vómito (36,37) , debe considerarse también las lesiones presentes en cavidad oral, que contribuirán a la disminución de consumo, afectando así el peso corporal al final del ciclo, observándose además una deficiente uniformidad en la parvada (19,38,39) .…”