Experimental trichothecene mycotoxicosis produced in broiler chickens byFusarium sporotrichiellavar.sporotrichioides

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Abstract
F. sporotrichiella var. sporotrichiodes, cultured on sterilized popcorn at 23.degree. C and then at 8.degree., 16.degree. and 23.degree. C and fed at 50% of the diet, was lethal to 7-day-old male broiler chickens. The 8.degree. C culture, containing T-2 toxin as 50 ppm and neosolaniol at 5 ppm, was given as whole culture at dietary concentrations of 10, 5, 1 and 0% for 17 days and 1% for 42 days. Half the chickens that were fed the 10% diet died during the 17 days (5 ppm T-2 toxin and 0.5 ppm neosolaniol). The corresponding daily dose was 0.24 mg T-2 toxin and 0.02 mg neosolaniol/kg body wt per day. The chickens that died were dehydrated, had necrosis and depletion of lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue and necrosis of the hepatobiliary system, gastroenteric mucosa, feather epidermis and renal tubular epithelium. The survivors had anemia, reduction of weight gain and transiently altered righting reflex. The comb and beak were pale yellow and the feather barbs were disheveled. Survivors also had atrophied lymphoid tissues, reduced hematopoietic cellularity in the bone marrow, necrosis of oral and crop mucosa, vacuolated hepatocytes, hyperplastic bile ductules and reduction of the thyroid follicular diameter.