Influence of Biochrome (R) on the response of metabolic hormones in PEMS-infected poults

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS), a disease that affects turke ys between 7 and 28 d of age, causes a severe inflammation of the intestina l tract and is characterized in poults by severe diarrhea, high morbidity, mortality, and stunting. The PEMS-associated mortality and growth depressio n is related to malabsorption and decreased metabolic activity caused, in p art, by a possible insulin deficiency or insensitivity. Insulin receptors a re stimulated by the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) that incorporates Cr. B ody Cr deficiency can be exacerbated by dietary deficiency and by increased excretion due to stress associated with a diarrheal disease such as PEMS. BioChrome(R) (BC) contains natural, preformed GTF, the bioactive form of Cr . Experiments were conducted in which BC was blended into poult starter fee d at 400 ppb during the first 21 d posthatch. Body weights were determined at 1, 7, 14, and 21 d of age, and weekly feed conversions were calculated f or each treatment group (control, BC, PEMS, and BC+PEMS). At 6 d posthatch, each PEMS-designated poult was given a 0.1-mL oral gavage of a 10% suspens ion of feces from PEMS-infected poults. Blood samples were taken via cardia c puncture from four birds per treatment group at 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21 d o f age. Radioimmunoassays were con ducted for plasma insulin, glucagon, thyr oxine (T-4), and triiodothyronine (T-3) Plasma insulin levels were depresse d in PEMS-infected poults from Days 10 through 17, but plasma glucagon leve ls in the PEMS-infected poults were significantly elevated at 14 and 17 d, after which they returned to control levels in both of the PEMS-infected gr oups. The T-3 and T-4 levels were depressed through Day 21 in PEMS-infected poults, but with BC treatment these blood hormone levels rebounded by Day 21. Body weights of PEMS-infected poults were increased significantly by th e BC treatment but not to the level of noninfected controls.