Effects of Mycotoxin-Contaminated Corn Distillers’ Dried Grains with Solubles on Growth Performance, Gut Health, and Immune Function in Four- to Eight-Week Old Pullets

Authors: PANERU, DEEPENDRA - University Of Georgia; NAEINI, HAMIDREZA - University Of Georgia; REDDY CHOPPA, VENKATA - University Of Georgia; KO, HANSEO - University Of Georgia; MAHDAVI, FATEMEH - University Of Georgia; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; KIM, WOO KYUN - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/28/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: n/a

Technical Abstract: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of naturally mycotoxin-contaminated corn distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on the growth performance, gut health, body composition, and immune response in young pullets. A total of 360 four-week-old Hy-Line W36 pullets were randomly assigned to five dietary treatment groups (6 replicates/group, 12 birds/replicate) for 28 days (4 to 8 wk old of age). The dietary treatments were formulated to provide a range of naturally contaminated corn DDGS (containing 6.52 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol, 280 µg/kg of zearalenone, 0.33 mg/kg of total fumonisins, and trace amounts of other mycotoxins) at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%. Body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly. Gut permeability was assessed using the FITC-d assay on days 13 and 27. T-cell populations in the spleen and cecal tonsils were analyzed using flowcytometry, while body composition was evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry on days 13 and 28. The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA, with significance set at P < 0.05 and tendency at 0.05 < P < 0.1. Post hoc analysis was conducted using a Tukey HSD test, and orthogonal polynomial contrasts were applied for linear or quadratic trends. Including 20% mycotoxin-contaminated corn DDGS in the diet significantly reduced the body weight (P = 0.011) on day 28 and feed intake decreased from day 21 to 28 (P = 0.015) compared to diets containing 0% DDGS. Increasing levels of contaminated DDGS linearly increased the body fat percentage on day 28 (linear, P = 0.021). Furthermore, increasing levels of contaminated DDGS in the diet linearly increased gut permeability on day 27 (linear, P = 0.043). The CD8+ percentage in the spleen significantly decreased with 20% mycotoxin-contaminated corn DDGS on day 28 (P = 0.017), whereas the CD4+ percentage exhibited a linear increase (linear, P = 0.05) with increasing DDGS levels resulting in a significant increase in the CD4+:CD8+ ratio (P = 0.013), compared to 0% DDGS in the diet. Including more than 10% of mycotoxin contaminated DDGS significantly decreased the CD8+ percentage (P < 0.001) and increased CD4+ percentage resulting in a significant increase in the CD4+:CD8+ ratio (P < 0.001) in the cecal tonsils compared to the 0% inclusion group. In conclusion, this experiment suggests that even subclinical levels of mycotoxins in corn DDGS, which fall below regulatory limits, can negatively impact growth performance, gut health, and immune function in young pullets. Keywords: Pullets, mycotoxins, corn DDGS, growth, immune function