FUSARIUM PROLIFERATUM CULTURE MATERIAL ALTERS SEVERAL PRODUCTION AND IMMUNE PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS IN WHITE LEGHORN CHICKENS

White Leghorn Cornell K-strain chicks (3 replicates of 16 per pen) were started at Day 7 on feed amended with Fusarium proliferatum culture material containing fumonisin B-1, fumonisin B-2, and moniliformin at 61, 10.5, and 42.7 ppm, respectively. Observed effects on performance of treated birds included reduced feed conversion at 2 wk, and reduced body weight of males and females up to 6 wk (P less than or equal to.05). Splenic, thymic, and liver weights, normalized for body weight, were reduced (P less than or equal to.05) with no change in bursa of Fabricius. No significant changes were observed histologically in the spleen, bursa, kidney, heart, liver, cecal tonsils, colon,or tibia. Significant suppression in total Ig and IgG levels occurred. Macrophages from treated chicks exhibited a 34% reduction in phagocytic activity. Natural killer cell activity was not affected. These findings, which showed that Fusarium toxins alter performance and immune end points in chickens, imply that chickens exposed to mycotoxins may be more susceptible to infectious diseases.