SALINOMYCIN POISONING OF LAYING TURKEYS

Clinical symptoms, pathological and histopathological changes of a cas e of salinomycin poisoning have been reported in a turkey breeding flo ck before the beginning of egg production. Sudden and rapidly increasi ng deaths were observed in 21 and 31 weeks old layer flocks (house IX. and XII.) 5-6 days after the consumption of a new feed. Salinomycin c ontent of newly transported feed was 47.2 mg/kg while that of layer fe eds sampled after the development of clinical diseases were 20.5, 26.0 and 31.7 mg/kg, respectively. In the 26 weeks old flock 13.4% of bird s died within one week while in the 31 weeks old flock 64.9% of animal s died within 3 weeks. Losses ceased 6, as well as 10 days after havin g changed the salinomycin containing feed, however the losses increase d in the older flock in the beginning of fertilizations (Fig. 1). Besi des sporadic diarrhoea, the clinical picture was characterized by the weakness and later on the paralysis of leg and neck muscles, swinging of wings, air hunger and dyspnoea (Figs. 2 and 3). The gross pathologi cal examinations revealed certain small petechias under the epicardium , pale discolouration of myocardium, acute cardiac dilatation, sporadi c moderate splenomegaly, congestion in the lungs and pallor of the bre ast muscles. The bacteriological investigations gave a negative result . The histopathological examination revealed passive hyperaemia in the myocardium, circumscribed petechias, epi- and myocardial edema, degen eration and atrophy of certain muscle fibres in the vicinity of petech ias. Pathognomic alterations could not be detected in the breast muscl es. Egg production of the older flock started 2 weeks after the develo pment of clinical symptoms of salinomycin poisoning. However, the egg production was significantly lower than the expected BUT-technological level (Fig. 4) therefore the flock was sold for slaughter.