Review of adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents in poultry

Focused review: The role of drug combinations for the control of coccidiosis in commercially reared chickens

A survey of drug combinations employed by the poultry industry indicates that they have played an important role in the control of coccidiosis in chickens. The mode of action of their component drugs is described. Advantages that accrue from their use may include a reduction in potential toxicity, a broadening of their spectrum of activity against different species of Eimeria, activity against different stages of the life cycle, and improved efficacy due to synergism between component drugs. Integration of management procedures involving rotation of drug combinations with vaccination is desirable because this has been shown to result in a restoration of drug sensitivity where drug resistance is present and could contribute to the sustainable control of coccidiosis. Threats to the future use of the most widely used combinations, those that include ionophores, stem from the recent desire to eliminate antibiotics from poultry feeds.

Effects of roxarsone and monensin on digital flexoral tendons of broiler chickens

Roxarsone and monensin are common poultry feed additives that are used alone or in combination with other drugs to improve growth and feed utilization in young birds. The effects of monensin and roxarsone on the physiology of flexoral tendons of broiler chickens were examined to understand their relationships to leg weakness that have been occasionally associated with these drugs. Day-old chickens were fed either roxarsone or monensin for a period of 6 wk with two regimens of each of the drugs (roxarsone, 45.4 or 90.8 g/ton feed; monensin, 100 or 150 g/ton feed). None of the treatments had any adverse effect on the growth of the birds or caused any significant leg problem. Roxarsone at 45.4 g/ton caused a significant gain in body weight. The biomechanical strength of digital flexoral tendons was measured in several ways. There were no statistical differences in load at break, the modulus of elasticity, or stress or strain levels between different treatment groups and birds that received no medication. There were no differences in collagen, proteoglycan, and pyridinoline content of tendons. Sequential extraction of tendons with different solvents revealed a significant increase in the percentage of guanidine HCl extractible collagens in monensin-treated birds, and a decrease in the acid extractible collagen in both roxarsone- and monensin-treated groups. The relative content of collagen in acid extractible collagens were significantly small relative to total collagen content. Majority of collagen (84 to 90%) was extractible with pepsin. About 8 to 11% of total collagen was resistant to pepsin that was extractible with collagenase; this did not differ between treatment groups. Roxarsone treatment had no effect on the guanidine soluble collagen pool. The effect of monensin on the increase in guanidine soluble pool of collagen may relate to its disruptive effects on cellular secretory processes, which may be of significance in modulating connective tissue function in conjunction with other factors. However, in the present study, neither roxarsone nor monensin alone produced any significant leg problems nor caused any significant differences in the physiology of flexoral tendons or altered their biomechanical properties.

Ascites syndrome in SPF Light Sussex chickens

An ascites syndrome was induced in 17 to 28 per cent of specific pathogen-free (SPF) Light Sussex (LSX) chickens given a low protein (16 per cent crude protein) high calcium (3.5 per cent calcium) layer crumble feed on two separate occasions 6 months apart. Affected chickens had increased right ventricular weight as a proportion of either total heart weight or live-weight at 3 weeks of age, compared with non-affected LSX chickens on the same feed, thus indicating right ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of ascites was not increased by infection with avian nephritis virus, nor by limited cold-stress during brooding. It was not produced in LSX chickens given other feeds, nor in SPF Rhode Island Red chickens.