POULTRY INFORMATION by SPECIES
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Are poultry animals affected by mycotoxins?
Poultry animals are sensitive to mycotoxins and can suffer from various toxic effects of mycotoxins.
The damage caused by mycotoxins is much greater when they are
What types of mycotoxins mainly affect poultry?
combined than when they occur individually. The most important mycotoxins in poultry production are:
Aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) Ochratoxin A (OTA) y/o Citrinina Trichothecenes Type A: Toxin T-2 Diacetoxiscirpenol (DAS) Fumonisins (FB1, FB2)
MAXIMUM SUGGESTED LEVELS OF THE MAJOR MYCOTOXINS IN POULTRY AFLA ppb
OCRA ppb
T-2 ppb
DAS ppb
FUM ppb
DON ppb
Inicial
5
5
50
100
1000
500
Growth
5
5
50
100
1000
500
Termination
5
5
100
200
1000
500
Posture
10
5
50
100
1000
1000
Reproduction
5
5
50
100
1000
500
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At what stage of poultry production mycotoxins generate most problems?
Mycotoxins affect all poultry
Immunosuppression is one of the
species, mainly causing severe
effects of mycotoxins with greater
immunosuppression.
economic impact, as it results in
Its action mechanism is based on enzymatic inhibition that reduces protein synthesis and, consequently, the immune response. Mycotoxins level causing the immunosuppression in poultry are
Increased susceptibility to infectious diseases Reactivation of chronic infections Potential secondary reactions Increased use of drugs
lower than those that produce typical
Ineffectiveness of vaccination
lesions of mycotoxicosis.
programs
Mycotoxins that mostly affect the immune system of poultry are Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins and Trichothecenes, normally resulting in atrophy of bursa of Fabricius and Thymus.
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AFLATOXINS
Which organs mycotoxins affect and what are the pathologies produced?
OCHRATOXINS
Aflatoxins are mainly
Most affected by Ochratoxins
immunosuppressive.
are chicken and turkey. These nephrotoxins cause inhibition of
TYPE A TRICHOTHECENES
food consumption, growth and egg production, and they also
Type A Trichothecenes (toxin T-2,
cause a lower quality of the egg
toxin HT-2, diacetoxyscirpenol)
shell.
are of the most concern for the poultry industry because they cause economic losses in productivity – they cause reduced feed intake, body weight and egg production and oral lesions.
FUMONISINS Fumonisins are associated with increased mortality in poultry, causing decreased body weight and lower daily average weight
The toxin T-2 is highly toxic
gain and an increase in gizzard
to birds, especially chickens,
weight.
because they have very low values of LD50 (medium
ZEARALENONE
lethal dose) (2mg/kg for
In general, poultry animals seem to
diacetoxyscirpenol and 4mg /kg
be less affected by Zearalenone in
for T-2).
comparison to porcine animals, and they also appear to be less sensitive to type B Trichothecenes, such as deoxynivalenol.
CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AFLATOXINS (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 AFG2)
OCHRATOXIN A (OTA) and/or CITRININ
TRICOTECENOS Grupo A (TOXIN T-2)
Hepatic injury
Kidney damage
Oral and cutaneous lesions
Body weight reduction
Polydipsia (increased water
Reduced egg weight
Loss of appetite
intake)
Increased number of poor
Disorders in the central nervous
Poor quality of eggshell
quality eggshells
system (ducks and turkeys)
Reduced feed intake
Immunosuppression
Leg weakness and relaxed wings
Decreased egg production
Decrease in yields
(chicks)
Immunosuppression
Blood clotting disorders Disorders in metabolites of B vitamins and amino acids Losses of defenses FumonisinAS (FB1, FB2) Reduced body weight Lower daily average weight gain Increased gizzard weight Increased mortality in poultry
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In which raw materials do we find main mycotoxins affecting poultry?
Aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2)
Ochratoxin A (OTA) and /or Citrinin
Trichothecenes Group A: Toxin T-2
Fumonisins (FB1, FB2)
Corn Wheat Peanuts Sorghum Barley Rye Oats
What are the detection methods used to detect mycotoxins in poultry feed?
Mycotoxins in feed are commonly
CHROMATOGRAPHY AND
detected and quantified using
SPECTROMETRY
antibody-based assays and
( HPLC , GG/MS AND LC-MS/MS)
chromatography techniques.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas
ELISA TEST The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an antibody-based assay that is commonly used for mycotoxins detection. There are several commercial ELISA kits available for Aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, Fumonisins, Ochratoxins and Zearalenone. ELISA is one of the most affordable methods for mycotoxins detection, but its limit of detection for many mycotoxins often exceeds 0.2 ppm.
chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) are two of the most commonly used methods for the detection and quantification of mycotoxins. HPLC and GC/MS, apart from having detection limit of <0.05 ppm for many mycotoxins, also require expensive equipment and technical support. LC-MS/MS is a technique that can analyse all mycotoxins, with increased sensitivity, precision and reproducibility. Liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS / MS) is nowadays the gold standard for quantification and detection of mycotoxins.
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How do we prevent from and/or fight against mycotoxins in poultry?
Handling mycotoxin
The complete elimination of
contamination and health
mycotoxin contamination seems
consequences in animal
to be practically impossible.
production pose increasing challenges for food security and safety systems of the consumer.
Mycotoxins are always present, at least in small amounts, and the effects of the presence of
Prevention against mycotoxins
those small amounts of diverse
should start with the elimination
mycotoxins results in synergitics
or reduction of fungal growth
effects that can be greater than
in plants, without forgetting the
the sum of the individual effects
storage of grains. In addition
that we have described for each
to controlling temperature and
type of mycotoxin.
humidity using aeration, it is advisable to use fungal inhibitors and to use protection against damage caused by insects and rodents.
Prevention against mycotoxins, is necessary and the use of detoxifying or adsorbing agents in poultry rations is essential.
Despite all the efforts made in order to reduce the level of mycotoxins in feed ingredients, there is always a certain degree of contamination that may pose a risk to livestock animals.
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