Effects of feeding blends of grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on production and metabolism in broilers.

Three hundred sixty, 1-d-old male broiler chicks were fed diets containing grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins for 56 d. The four diets included control (0.14 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, 18 mg/ kg fusaric acid, < 0.1 mg/kg zearalenone), low level of contaminated grains (4.7 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, 20.6 mg/kg fusaric acid, 0.2 mg/kg zearalenone), and high level of contaminated grains without (8.2 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, 20.3 mg/kg fusaric acid, 0.56 mg/kg zearalenone) and with (9.7 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, 21.6 mg/kg fusaric acid, 0.8 mg/kg zearalenone) 0.2% esterified-glucomannan polymer derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae1026 (E-GM). Body weight gain and feed consumption responded in a significant quadratic fashion to the inclusion of contaminated grains during the finisher period. Efficiency of feed utilization, however, was not affected by diets. The feeding of contaminated grains in the finisher period also caused significant linear increases in blood erythrocyte count and serum uric acid concentration and a significant linear decline in the serum lipase activity. Dietary inclusion of contaminated grains resulted in a significant quadratic effect on serum albumin and y-glutamyltransferase activity. Blood hemoglobin and biliary IgA concentrations, however, responded in significant linear and quadratic fashions. Supplementation of E-GM counteracted most of the blood parameter alterations caused by the Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated grains and reduced breast muscle redness. It was concluded that broiler chickens may be susceptible to Fusarium mycotoxicoses when naturally contaminated grains are fed containing a combination of mycotoxins.