Toxicity of corn culture material of Fusarium proliferatum M-7176 and nutritional intervention in chicks.

The toxicity of Fusarium proliferatum M-7176 cultured on corn (FPC) and nutritional intervention were investigated in baby chicks (New Hampshire x Single Comb White Leghorn) in three 2-wk feeding experiments. In Experiment 1, 30% FPC decreased weight gain (P < .05) and increased relative heart weight (RHW) (P < .01). Experiment 2 included a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of FPC (0 or 30%) and Se (0 or 5 mg/kg) and two detached treatments of Se (2.5 mg/kg) or thiamin (B1, 25 mg/kg) supplementations to 30% FPC. Only B1 was inhibitory to the toxic effects of FPC on weight gain, feed efficiency, and RHW (P < .05). Experiment 3 included 2 x 2 factorial arrangement between FPC (0 or 30%) and Se (0 or 4 mg/kg), or B1 (0 or 50 mg/kg), or vitamin E (0 or 50 IU/kg) and additional supplementations of Se (2 mg/kg), B1 (10 or 25 mg/kg), or E (10 IU/kg) to 30% FPC. A new batch of FPC was used and it caused 36% mortality. Vitamin E did not interact with FPC, but SE interacted with FPC only on RHW (P < .01). Thiamin interacted with FPC on all measured variables with significance ranging from P < .1 to P < .01. Supplementation of B1 as low as 10 mg/kg was inhibitory to some toxic effects of FPC. However, B1 as high as 50 mg/kg did not completely negate the cardiotoxicity. Water-extractable B1 in FPC diets was 13 to 27% of the control diets. Water extract of FPC reduced B1 recovery from a standard solution by 40%. The anti-thiamin factor was heat-sensitive. Both fumonisins and moniliformin were present in FPC. However, the results indicate that the anti-thiamin factor is also a major toxic factor of F. proliferatum M-7176.