VETERINARSKI ARHIV 69 (1), 39-47, 1999

ISSN 1331-8055 Online
ISSN 0372-5480 Printed in Croatia

Effect of salinomycin on broiler health

Farzana Rizvi* and Ahmed Din Anjum

Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

* Contact address:
Dr. Farzana Rizvi,
Lecturer, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan,
Phone: 92 41 25 91,
E-mail: editor@pjbs.org

RIZVI, F., A. D. ANJUM: Effect of salinomycin on broiler health. Vet. arhiv 69, 39-47, 1999.

ABSTRACT

Broilers (N=20 in each of 4 groups) kept under standard management conditions, were given various doses of salinomycin over a period of 8 weeks. They showed no clinical signs throughout the study. Those receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm or 180 ppm salinomycin had significantly lesser body mass (P<0.001) than the control group. There was a significant negative correlation between dose of salinomycin and mass gain in broilers (r=-0.845, P<0.05). Cumulative feed conversion ratio (CFR) during this period was 2.21 in the control group compared with 3.251, 3.859 and 4.161 in broilers, respectively, receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm and 180 ppm salinomycin in feed. There was a positive correlation between FCR and the dose of salinomycin (r=0.973, P<0.001). Organ index of liver, proventriculus, intestines and caeca in salinomycin at 60 ppm and 120 ppm had a non-significant influence on gizzard, kidneys and heart, but at 180 ppm there were significantly reduced gizzard and kidney indices compared with the control (P<0.001). On the other hand, heart index was significantly higher in 180 ppm fed broilers compared with the control (P<0.001). Grossly and histologically visceral organs of broilers receiving various doses of salinomycin appeared normal.

Key words: salinomycin, broilers, health, feed conversion, body mass gain

Introduction

Coccidiosis has remained a common problem in poultry (HAYAT and HAYAT, 1983; SIDDIQUE et al., 1987; ANJUM, 1990; MUNEER, 1997) although preventive medication is widely used for the management of coccidiosis. Feed manufacturing companies do not declare type and quantity of anticoccidial used. In the event of an outbreak, poultry farmers treat coccidiosis using anticoccidial drugs such as sulfa and amprolium in drinking water and also some anticoccidial feed premix. The medication may continue for 3-4 weeks. In this way, there is a likelihood of over-medication with anticoccidial drugs.

The most commonly used anticoccidial in feed in Pakistan is salinomycin (HAYAT et al., 1996). It acts by transporting alkali metal ions which results in altered ionic gradients and disturbed physiological processes in coccidia (KINASHI et al., 1973; PRESSMAN, 1973, 1976; REED and LARDY, 1972). Their toxicity at a high dietary level probably relates to disturbance of the metabolism of ions within the tissues of the host animals. In chicks not subject to coccidial infection, this drug may depress growth when given from 80 to 160 ppm in feed (MIGAKI and BABCOCK, 1979; MORRISON et al., 1979; YVORE et al., 1980).

Bearing in mind the extensive use of salinomycin in poultry, as well as the probability of prolonged overmedication, this project was designed to investigate the effects of salinomycin on the health of broilers.

Materials and methods

The effect of salinomycin was studied experimentally on health of broilers.

Eighty day-old broiler chicks were divided into four equal groups. The chicks in all groups were fed commercial broiler starter mash up to 4 weeks and broiler finisher ration thereafter. Chicks in group A served as control, chicks in groups B, C and D were given coxistac in feed, respectively, at 60 ppm (the recommended preventive dose) 120 ppm and 180 ppm concentrations.

Live body mass and feed consumption was recorded weekly. Cumulative feed intake and feed conversion ratio was calculated at 8 weeks post-treatment. Ten birds were slaughtered at 8 weeks of age for ascertaining any effect of the drug on internal organs of the body. Since organ weight is directly related to body weight, organ index, i.e., per cent mass of the organ to body mass, was calculated to create uniformity and avoid the influence of variation in body weight. Organ index was calculated as follows.

Organ index=SOrgan mass (g)/Live body mass (g)C×100

Clinical signs were observed regularly during the experiment and faecal examination was done for the presence of coccidial oocysts. Gross lesions were recorded at post-mortem on each slaughtering. Samples of the organs, normal or morbid, were taken from each necropsied bird for histopathology. Tissue samples were fixed in 10 per cent buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 5-6 µm thick and stained with haematoxylin and eosine stains following procedures described by ANJUM (1980).

Results

Clinical signs

No clinical sign was observed in broilers receiving various doses of salinomycin in feed.

Faecal examination for coccidial oocysts

Faecal examination remained negative for coccidial oocysts throughout the study.

Live body mass

Table 1 shows that salinomycin significantly depressed the live body mass of broilers. Broilers receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm and 180 ppm of salinomycin had a significantly lesser body mass than the control group (P<0.001), respectively, from the 8^th, 6^th and 4^th week post-treatment.

Table 1. Effect of salinomycin on live body mass (g) of experimental broilers

Each figure represents mean±SEM of 10 chicks. Data subjected to analysis of variance revealed significant differenc between treatments.

^a-P<0.001 compared with the control group

Body mass gain in broilers receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm and 180 ppm of salinomycin, respectively, was 88.27%, 92.2% and 49.3% of the control group. There was a significant negative correlation between the dose of salinomycin and body mass gain in broilers (r=-0.845, P<0.05).

Feed intake and feed conversion ratio

Table 2 shows that cumulative feed intake at 8 weeks of study was 4408.9 g in the control group compared with 5754.3 g, 7119 g and 4202 g in broilers given, respectively, 60 ppm, 120 ppm and 180 ppm of salinomycin in feed.

Table 2. Effect of salinomycin on cumulative feed intake and cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) of experimental broilers at 8 weeks post-treatment

Cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) during this period was 2.21 in the control group compared with 3.251, 3.859 and 4.161 in broilers, respectively, receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm and 180 ppm of salinomycin in feed. There was a positive correlation between FCR and the dose of salinomicyn (r=0.973, P<0.001).

Mass of internal organs

Organ indices are shown in Table 3. The difference in mass of liver, proventriculus, intestines and between the control and salinomycin treated birds was non-significant at all doses. Salinomicyn at 60 ppm and 120 ppm had a non-significant influence on gizzard, kidneys and heart, but at 180 ppm salinomycin significantly reduced gizzard and kidney indices compared with the control (P<0.001). On the other hand, heart index was significantly higher in 180 ppm fed broilers compared with the control (P<0.001).

Table 3. Effect of salinomycin on organ indices of experimental broilers at 8 weeks post-treatment

Each figure represents mean±SEM of 10 chicks. Data subjected to analysis of variance revealed significant differenc between treatments.

^a-P<0.001 compared with the control group

Gross and histopathological lesions

Grossly and histologically visceral organs of broilers receiving various doses of salinomycin appeared normal throughout the study.

Discussion

Salinomycin is an inophore antibiotic (KINASHI et al., 1973), used extensively in the prevention of coccidiosis in poultry. Clinically, no signs of any nature were seen in broilers receiving 60 ppm, 120 ppm or 180 ppm of salinomycin in feed. DANFORTH et al. (1977a,b), MORRISON et al. (1979) and YVORE et al. (1980) also found that salinomycin was safe from 80 to 100 ppm. In turkeys, as little as 20-30 ppm salinomycin in feed caused difficult and uncoordinated movements and paralysis of leg and neck muscles, dyspnoe, diarrhoea and 13-65% mortality (GITHKOPOULOS and LEKKAS, 1990; POLNER and SALVI, 1994). This reflects a better tolerance of salinomicyn in chickens than in turkeys, which could be a species variation.

Salinomycin at 60 ppm reduced body mass significantly from 8th week post-treatment (Table 1, P<0.001). This indicates that the prolonged use of salinomycin, even at the recommended dose for prophylaxis of coccidiosis, suppresses growth. This is in agreement with the findings of GARD et al. (1975), HARMS and BURESH (1987), MAZURKIEWIEZ et al. (1989) and PROHASZKA and ROZSNYAI (1990). On the contrary, MIGAKI and BABCOCK (1979) observed a mass gain better than the control at 50 and 60 ppm of salinomycin in broilers. Still other workers (KESHAVARZ and McDOUGALD, 1982; PERASON et al., 1990; STEINRUCK et al., 1992) observed that 40-80 ppm Salinomicyn had no effect on body mass in broilers.

One of the factors responsible for variable reports on growth depression induced by therapeutic dose of salinomycin could be the involvement of the incompatibility of feed ingredients with the drug. As observed by PROHASZKA et al. (1987), the growth-depressing effect of salinomycin was increased when given in diet with a high saprophyte count. Bacterial count is usually very high under local conditions due to the use of fishmeal, poultry offal and feather meal, blood meal and bone meal, etc. PROHASZKA et al. (1987) explained that saprophytic bacteria, during excessive multiplication in poultry feed, release metabolites of increased bacterial activity which enhance the toxicity of salinomycin and monensin.

Salinomycin at higher doses significantly decreased the body mass of broilers in the present study (Table 1, P<0.001). The inverse correlation between dose of salinomycin and body mass gain in broilers (r=-0.845, P<0.05) further suggests that growth suppression was dose-dependent. Growth depression observed at higher doses (i.e., 120 ppm and 180 ppm) of salinomycin in broilers in the present study is unequivocal confirmation of many previous studies (MORRISON et al., 1979; MIKAGI and BABCOCK, 1979; YVORE et al., 1980; KESHAVARZ and McDOUGALD, 1982; KIRILLOV, 1985; DONEV et al., 1988; PERASON et al., 1990; STEINRUCK et al., 1992).

In the present study, feed intake was less in salinomycin-treated broiler chicks than in the control. This was also accompanied by a poor feed conversion ratio. There was a significant positive correlation between feed conversion ratio and dose of salinomycin, which shows the dose-related effect of salinomycin. The decrease in feed intake observed in the present study is in line with the findings of some other workers, who observed reduced feed consumption and poor feed conversion ratios with therapeutic doses of salinomycin (PAULILLO et al., 1986) as well as with higher doses of salinomycin (KESHAVARZ and McDOUGALD, 1982) in broilers.

HARMS et al. (1989) reported that appetite and decreased feed intake were a major factor in decreased performance in broilers by increasing the dose of salinomycin from 44 mg/kg feed to 88 mg/kg feed in broilers. MAZURKIEWIEZ et al. (1989) reported decreased feed consumption (50%) by giving salinomycin at a dose rate of 57 to 89 ppm in turkeys. However, STEINRUCK et al. (1992) reported that 40 or 80 mg/kg salinomycina had no effect on feed intake of broilers by 42 days, although during the third week feed intake was depressed at higher drug concentration. DONEV et al. (1988) also reported that salinomycin 60 and 100 g/1000 kg feed had no adverse effect on appetite, behaviour and properties of meat. The decrease in appetite and feed intake seem to be a reversible phenomenon. According to CHAPMAN et al. (1993) feed intake was decreased with salinomycin, but following withdrawal of salinomycin it was greater than when birds were receiving the drug.

Mass of internal organs including proventriculus, intestine and caeca was not affected significantly in broilers receiving various doses of salinomycin. This indicates that salinomycin had no apparent effect on these organs up to 180 ppm in feed. This is in agreement with DONEV et al. (1988) who also observed that salinomycin given at a dose rate of 60 to 100 g/1000 kg of feed had no adverse effect on organ weight of broiler chicks. Mass of gizzard and kidney was reduced, whereas heart mass was significantly increased compared with the control at 180 ppm salinomycin (Table 3, P<0.001).

Salinomycin did not affect the gross and histological appearance of internal organs in broilers in the present study. However, some previous workers observed degeneration, oedema and infiltration of lymphocytes in liver of broilers at 200 ppm salinomycin (SHEHATA et al., 1990) and congestion and degeneration in liver and congestion, hydropic degeneration of tubular epithelium and degeneration of Bowman's capsule epithelium in kidneys in turkeys given 30 ppm salinomycin (GITHKOPOULOS and LEKKAS, 1990).

In conclusion, salinomycin at the recommended dose of 60 ppm, as well as at higher doses, i. e., 120 ppm and 180 ppm, decreased body mass due to poor feed conversion. Higher doses of salinomycin also altered the mass of some visceral organs, which could influence the performance of broilers.

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Received: 19 October 1998
Accepted: 9 February 1999

RIZVI, F., A. D. ANJUM: Utjecaj salinomicina na zdravlje peradi. Vet. arhiv 69, 39-47, 1999.

SAZETAK

Brojlerima (po 20 u 4 skupine) drzanim u standardnim uvjetima uzgoja davane su razlicite doze salinomicina tijekom 8 tjedana. Nisu pokazivali nikakve klinicke znakove bolesti tijekom pokusa. Oni koji su dobivali 60 ppm, 120 ppm ili 180 ppm salinomicina imali su znacajno manje (P<0,001) tjelesne mase od kontrolne skupine. Postojala je znacajna negativna korelacija izmedu doze salinomicina i prirasta tjelesnih masa brojlera (r=0,845, P<0,05). Skupni omjer konverzije hrane (FCR) u tom razdoblju bio je 2,21 za kontrolnu skupinu, a u usporedbi s brojlerima koji su dobivali 60 ppm (omjer 3,251), 120 ppm (omjer 3,859) odnosno 180 ppm (omjer 4,161) salinomicina u hrani. Bila je pozitivna korelacija FCR i doze salinomicina (r=0,973, P<0,001). Indeksi organa za jetru, zljezdani zeludac, crijeva i slijepa crijeva uz 60 ppm salinomicina nisu imali znacajnog utjecaja na misicni zeludac, bubrege i srce, ali uz 120 ppm bili su znacajno smanjeni indeksi za misicni zeludac i bubrege u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom (P<0,001). S druge strane, indeks za srce bio je znacajno veci u brojlera hranjenih sa 180 ppm salinomicina u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom (P<0,001). Utrobni organi brojlera koji su dobivali razlicite doze salinomicina izgledali su normalno i makroskopski i histoloski.

Kljucne rijeci: salinomicin, brojleri, zdravlje, konverzija hrane, prirast tjelesne mase