The individual and combined effects of feeding moniliformin, supplied by Fusarium fujikuroi culture material, and deoxynivalenol in young turkey poults

The effects of feeding diets containing either 20 mg deoxynivalenol (DON)/k g, 100 mg moniliformin (M)/kg, or a combination of DON and M (20 mg/kg DON and 100 mg M/kg) were evaluated in growing turkey poults, from 1 to 21 d of age. Feed intake and BW gains were decreased (P < 0.05) by dietary treatme nts containing M. Feed conversion was not affected by any of the dietary tr eatments, and no interactive effects on performance were evident between M and DON. Absolute weights of hearts and kidneys were increased (P < 0.05) i n poults fed diets containing M. Mean cell volume was decreased by the M an d DON-M treatments; however, the decrease was much smaller in poults fed th e combination DON-M treatment resulting in a significant (P < 0.05) DON by M interaction. Mean cell hemoglobin and mean cell hemoglobin concentrations were not affected by any of the dietary treatments. No histological lesion s were seen in control poults or poults fed DON alone. Lesions associated w ith dietary treatments were only observed in the heart and kidney. Poults f ed diets containing M alone or the DON-M combination exhibited an increased incidence of variable sized cardiomyocyte nuclei, with numerous large gian t nuclei, and a generalized loss of cardiomyocyte cross striations. Isolate d renal tubules in sections of kidney were noted to have mild diffuse miner alization in poults fed M and the combination DON-M treatments. None of the response variables measured were affected by DON alone. No toxic synergy w as observed when these toxins were fed simultaneously to turkey poults for 21 d.