tellurium and Poultry-Diseases

Mortality and myopathy of selenium-vitamin E (Se-E) deficiency was produced, in a concentration-dependent pattern, during a 4-week study of 750 ducklings fed a commercial duck starter mash that contained adequate amounts of Se and E, and supplemented with multiple amounts of Ag (50 to 3,000 mg/kg of feed, as acetate), Zn (3,000 to 6,000 mg/kg, as sulfate), Cd (10 to 500 mg/kg, as sulfate), Te (25-500 mg/kg, as tetrachloride), Co (100 to 1,000 mg/kg, as chloride), Cu (500 to 1,500 mg/kg, as sulfate), Hg (200 to 400 mg/kg, as chloride), and Sn (1,000 mg/kg, as chloride). Also, feeding supplements of Pb (500 mg/kg, as acetate), As (600 mg/kg, as sodium arsenilate), Fe (5,000 mg/kg, as sulfate), and S (5,000 mg/kg, as sodium sulfite) produced a low-to-medium frequency of lesions of Se-E deficiency. In ducklings with muscle lesions, the gizzard was most often affected (84.2%), followed in decreasing order by skeletal muscles (69.7%), intestine (34.9%), and heart (23.0%). The frequency of skeletal muscle lesions was high in birds fed Ag, and myocardial necrosis was frequent in ducklings fed Te and Hg. Ducklings affected with myopathy were reluctant to stand. Subcutaneous edema, with or without hemorrhages, and pale areas of myonecrosis in gizzard, skeletal muscles, intestine, and heart were seen at necropsy. Birds fed Te and Hg often had hydropericardium and hemorrhagic myocardial necrosis. Seemingly, addition of many elements to a Se-E adequate commercial diet will increase the requirement for Se-E. In our duckling model, minimal amounts shown to induce Se-E deficiency were 50 mg of Ag/kg, 3,000 mg of Zn/kg, 10 mg of Cd/kg, 25 mg of Te/kg, 1200 mg of Co/kg, 500 mg of Cu/kg, 200 mg of Hg/kg, 1,000 mg of Sn/kg, 500 mg of Pb/kg, 600 mg of As/kg, 5,000 mg of Fe/kg, and 5,000 mg of S/kg.

Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Cadmium; Cobalt; Copper; Ducks; Elements; Mercury; Muscles; Myocardium; Poultry Diseases; Selenium; Silver; Tellurium; Tin; Vitamin E Deficiency; Zinc

In 3 experiments, 684 newly hatched White Pekin ducklings were fed (for 15 to 28 days) a commercial starter mash that was adequate in selenium and vitamin E (Se-E) content, either alone or with supplements of Ag (3,000 mg/kg of feed, as acetate), Cu (1,500 mg/kg, as sulfate), Co (200 or 500 mg/kg, as chloride), Te (500 mg/kg, as tetrachloride), Cd (100 or 500 mg/kg, as sulfate), Zn (3,000 or 6,000 mg/kg, as sulfate), or V (100 mg/kg, as vanadate). The ducklings fed Ag, Cu, Co, Te, Cd, and Zn frequently developed lesions characteristic of Se-E deficiency, such as necrosis of skeletal and cardiac muscle and of smooth muscle of the gizzard and intestine. Complete protection from the muscle lesions produced by Cu, Co, Te, Cd, and Zn supplements was provided by vitamin E (200 IU of alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg) and Se (2 mg/kg, as selenite). Ducklings fed Ag were protected by supplements of vitamin E and partial protection was achieved by Se addition. The birds fed excessive Zn developed pancreatic necrosis and fibrosis that was not prevented by supplements of Se or vitamin E. Terminally, blood glutathione peroxidase activity was low and hepatic Se concentration was increased in the ducklings fed Ag. However, neither blood glutathione peroxidase activity nor hepatic Se concentrations was consistently abnormal in ducklings fed other trace elements, although lesions of Se-E deficiency were often present in these animals.

Topics: Animals; Cadmium; Cobalt; Copper; Diet; Ducks; Male; Muscles; Poultry Diseases; Selenium; Silver; Tellurium; Trace Elements; Vitamin E; Vitamin E Deficiency; Zinc

Topics: Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Argyria; Ducks; Liver; Male; Methionine; Muscles; Poultry Diseases; Selenium; Tellurium; Vitamin E; Vitamin E Deficiency