Toxicity of Dietary and Intravenously Administered Moniliformin to Broiler Chickens

Abstract

Moniliformin (1-hydroxy-cyclobut-1-ene-3,4-dione), either purified (0, 8, and 16 mg/kg of diet) or from culture of Fusarium moniliforme strain NRRL 6322 on corn grits (8, 16, and 64 mg/kg of diet) was fed to growing broiler chicks from 1 to 21 days of age. Up to 16 mg moniliformin/kg of diet from either source was without effect on chick weight gain, feed consumption, and mortality. Chicks fed 64 mg moniliformin/kg of diet from culture had reduced weight gain and feed consumption. Total daily moniliformin consumption by these chicks was nearly twice the reported single oral 50% lethal dose. Three of 10 chicks fed 64 mg/kg of moniliformin in the diet died. No lesions were found upon necropsy. The LD50 of purified moniliformin upon intravenous injection of 7-week-old female broiler chickens was 1.38 +/- .035 mg/kg body weight. Average time to death was 65 minutes. Progressive symptoms noted included lack of muscular coordination, tachypnea from moderate to severe followed by slow labored respiration, coma, terminal agonal struggle, and death.

Effects of feedingFusarium fujikuroiculture material containing known levels of moniliformin in turkey poults

“…Initial studies of moniliformin toxicity in poultry involved determination of median lethal dose (LD 50 ) values in chickens (Burmeister et al, 1979;Kriek et al, 1977). Allen et al (1981) fed chicks purified M or M supplied by culture material at levels ranging from 8 to 64 mg/kg and observed reduced performance and 15% mortality in chicks fed 64 mg M/kg for 3 weeks. Ledoux et al (1995) demonstrated that 50 mg M/kg or greater is toxic to broiler chickens with mild to severe cardiomegaly observed in chickens fed 50 to 200 mg M/kg ration.…”

Production of Beauvericin, Moniliformin, Fusaproliferin, and Fumonisins B 1 , B 2 , and B 3 by Fifteen Ex-Type Strains of Fusarium Species

“…Fusaproliferin can induce teratogenic effects, e.g., cephalic dichotomy, macrocephaly, and limb asymmetry, in chicken embryos (26). Moniliformin is a sodium or potassium salt of 1-hydroxycyclobut-1-ene-3,4-dione (4,24), which has been shown to be extremely toxic to animals such as ducklings, rats, mice, chickens, and swine (1,2,13).…”

Repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity study of moniliformin in rats

“…MON has not been involved in any natural animal or human disease outbreaks, but has shown comparable toxicity to the most toxic trichothecenes, T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin, in laboratory experiments involving birds and rodents (Abbas et al, 1990;Allen et al, 1981;Burmeister et al, 1979;Kriek et al, 1977;Nagaraj et al, 1996;Ueno, 1983).…”