Hematological and serum biochemical studies on Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) fed different levels of furazolidone

To evaluate the effects of feeding furazolidone on hematological and serum biochemical parameters of blood, an experiment was conducted using 121 fema le adult Japanese quails. Blood samples were collected for determining the control values before the administration of furazolidone. Furazolidone was administered as a feed additive at doses of 400, 800 and 1200 mg/kg to feed for a period of 15 days. Following the administration of furazolidone, the number of WBCs and lymphocytes significantly decreased (P <0.05). The conc entration of cholesterol, uric acid, inorganic phosphorus and the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LD) and alkalin e phosphatase (ALP) significantly increased (P <0.05). In contrast, the con centration of total protein and calcium decreased significantly (P <0.05). Dose- dependent effects were observed.