Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T00:28:43.862Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of vitamins A, E and K on experimentally induced histomoniasis in turkeys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

E. G. Schildknecht  and
R. L. Squibb
E. G. Schildknecht
Affiliation:
Departments of Animal Science and Food Science, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903
R. L. Squibb
Affiliation:
Departments of Animal Science and Food Science, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Vitamins A, E and K were incorporated into turkey starter rations at normal (1×), 5× and 50× the National Research Council recommended vitamin levels and evaluated for their effect on histomoniasis in turkeys. Infected as well as comparable uninfected poults were included in all trials. Each vitamin was also evaluated at normal and 50× the NRC level in combination with ipronidazole, a low-level antihistomonal agent. In addition to performance parameters, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) plasma enzyme levels were used to evaluate the vitamin effect. None of the vitamins tested alone were found to be effective in terms of reducing mortality and morbidity following a severe Histomonas meleagridis challenge, regardless of the vitamin dose. A significant improvement in performance was demonstrated with the vitamin E (50×)–ipronidazole combination and a numerical improvement with the vitamin A (50×)–ipronidazole combination over ipronidazole alone or the poults fed NRC recommended vitamin levels. The GOT and LDH plasma enzyme levels correlated well with the progressive pathological changes associated with the disease. At 11 days post-infection both enzymes were consistently and significantly elevated above those of the uninfected controls, irrespective of the vitamin levels provided. The presence of low level ipronidazole in most instances delayed the onset of clinical symptoms and was associated with a delay in enzyme elevation, indicating the excellent correlation and sensitivity of the enzyme method in assessing liver damage.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 78 , Issue 1 , February 1979 , pp. 19 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Al-Khateeb, G. H. & Hansen, M. F. (1973). Plasma glutamic oxalacetic transaminase as related to liver lesions from histomoniasis in turkeys. Avian Diseases 17, 269–73.Google Scholar
Al-Khateeb, G. H. & Hansen, M. F. (1974). Plasma enzymes as a measure of susceptibility of chickens and turkeys to infection with Histomonas meleagridis. Avian Diseases 18, 507–14.Google Scholar
Beg, M. K. & Clarkson, M. J. (1970). Serum enzymes in histomoniasis in the turkey. Journal of Comparative Pathology 80, 415–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bradley, R. E. & Reid, W. M. (1966). Histomonas meleagridis and several bacteria as agents of infectious enterohepatitis in gnotobiotic turkeys. Experimental Parasitology 19, 91–101.Google Scholar
Chute, H. L., Zarkower, A., O'Meara, D. C. & Witter, R. L. (1961). Acid and alkaline phosphatase levels in coccidiosis infected chickens. Avian Diseases 5, 107–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R. P. & Vorhies, M. W. (1976). Effect of supplemental dietary vitamin E on the serologic response of swine to an Escherichia coli bacterin. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 168, 231–2.Google Scholar
Harms, R. H., Waldroup, P. W. & Cox, D. D. (1960). Comparison of various sources and levels of vitamin K activity using chicks with caecal coccidiosis. Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine 105, 230–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heinzerling, R. H., Nockels, C. F., Quarles, C. L. & Tengerdy, R. P. (1974). Protection of chicks against E. coli infection by dietary supplementation with vitamin E. Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine 146, 279–83.Google Scholar
Heinzerling, R. H., Tengerdy, R. P., Wick, L. L. & Lueker, D. C. (1974). Vitamin E protects mice against Diplococcus pneumoniae Type I infection. Infection and Immunity 10, 1292–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, C. H. (1962). Nutritional factors influencing resistance and susceptibility to disease. Proceedings of the 15th Annual California Industrial Conference, pp. 84–91.Google Scholar
McDougald, L. R. & Hansen, M. F. (1970). Histomonas meleagridis: effect on plasma enzymes in chickens and turkeys. Experimental Parasitology 27, 229–35.Google Scholar
Mitrovic, M. & Schildknecht, E. G. (1970). Antihistomonal activity of ipronidazole in turkeys. Poultry Science 52, 86–92.Google Scholar
Panda, B. & Combs, G. F. (1963). Impaired antibody production in chicks fed diets low in vitamin A, pantothenic acid or riboflavin. Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine 133, 530–4.Google Scholar
Ryley, J. F. & Hardman, L. (1978). The use of vitamin K deficient diets in the screening and evaluation of anticoccidial drugs. Parasitology 76, 11–20.Google Scholar
Schildknecht, E. G. (1976). Effect of vitamins on experimentally induced histomoniasis in turkeys. Ph.D. thesis, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J.Google Scholar
Seifter, E., Zisblatt, M., Levine, N. & Rettura, G. (1973). Inhibitory action of vitamin A on a murine sarcoma. Life Sciences 13, 945–52.Google Scholar
Singh, S. P. & Donovan, G. A. (1973). A relationship between coccidiosis and dietary vitamin A levels in chickens. Poultry Science 52, 1295–301.Google Scholar
Springer, W. T., Johnson, J. & Reid, W. M. (1970). Histomoniasis in gnotobiotic chickens and turkeys: biological aspects of the role of bacteria in the etiology. Experimental Parasitology 28, 383–92.Google Scholar
Squibb, R. L. (1964). Avian disease virus and nutrition relationships. 5. Relation of vitamin K reserves to prothrombin times in chicks infected with Newcastle disease virus. Poultry Science 43, 1443–5.Google Scholar
Squibb, R. L., Braham, J. E., Guzman, M. & Scrimshaw, N. S. (1955). Blood serum total protein, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and vitamin A of New Hampshire chickens infected with coryza, cholera or Newcastle disease. Poultry Science 34, 1054–8.Google Scholar
Tengerdy, R. P. & Brown, J. C. (1977). Effect of vitamin E and A on humoral immunity and phagocytosis in E. coli infected chicken. Poultry Science 56, 957–63.Google Scholar
Tengerdy, R. P. & Nockels, C. F. (1975). Vitamin E or vitamin A protects chickens against E. coli infection. Poultry Science 54, 1292–6.Google Scholar
Whitmore, J. H., Sullivan, T. W. & Grace, O. D. (1968). Prophylactic efficacy of vitamin A and certain compounds against histomoniasis in turkeys. Poultry Science 47, 159–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed