The impact of reducing mycotoxins in poultry feed on the natural defense against disease

减少动物饲料中抗菌剂的使用，特别是作为生长促进剂（agp）的使用，以及治疗疾病已被加拿大家禽研究委员会确定为优先事项。尽管寻找替代品，但这些也可能迫使微生物产生耐药性。因此，我们提出了一项总体战略，以在没有agp的情况下保持健康、生产和效率，这需要改进生物安全、管理实践和营养，特别是以低水平真菌毒素喂养的饲料。真菌毒素是由真菌产生的一种化学物质，用于防御。引起关注的是与镰刀菌头疫病（FHB）有关的真菌毒素，这是一种在世界范围内种植的真菌疾病。在加拿大，FHB的发病率一直在增加，人们担心它正在变得更具传染性，并产生更多类型和更高水平的真菌毒素。据CAST（2003）估计，在世界范围内，25%的谷物含有一定程度的真菌毒素。最近对98篇论文（1980-2009年）进行的荟萃分析（Andretta et al., 2011）得出结论，与对照饲粮相比，真菌毒素使肉鸡采食量减少12%，增重减少14%。Yegani等人（2005）估计，加拿大畜禽生产者在1990年至1999年间损失了10亿美元。食品添加剂还显著影响产量和谷物质量，估计每年给加拿大谷物生产商造成8000万美元的损失。畜牧业的应对措施是避免真菌毒素的来源，并使用补充剂来结合和/或解毒可能存在的毒素。我们的研究小组最近安装了新的（首次安装在NA）技术，该技术使用近红外反射（NIR）光谱学促进了单个籽粒的商业分选。粮食来源可以根据粗蛋白质分为三个部分。在侵染期间，FHB减少单个籽粒中的蛋白质沉积。使用分选技术的初步数据与回收约90%的玉米粒和将真菌毒素水平降低到低水平或不可检测水平有关。重点将是了解真菌毒素对免疫能力或动物应对疾病挑战或产生良好疫苗反应的能力的影响，并减少对agp的依赖。

Lowering the use of antimicrobials in animal feeds, particularly as growth promoters (AGPs), and to treat disease have been defined as priorities by the Canadian Poultry Research Council. Although alternatives are sought, these too may force microbial resistance. Therefore, we propose an overall strategy to maintain health, production and efficiency without AGPs requires improvements in bio-security, management practices and nutrition, specifically to feed diets with low levels of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are chemicals produced by fungi as a defense. Of concern are the mycotoxins associated with Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) a fungal disease in crops grown worldwide. In Canada, the incidence of FHB has been increasing and there are concerns that it is becoming more infectious and producing more types and higher levels of mycotoxins. Worldwide, CAST (2003) estimates that 25% of all cereals have some level of mycotoxins. In a recent meta-analysis (Andretta et al., 2011) of 98 papers (between 1980-2009) concluded that mycotoxins reduced broilers feed intake by 12% and weight gain by 14% compared to the respective control diets. Yegani et al. (2005) estimated that Canadian livestock and poultry producers lost $1B between 1990 and 1999. FHB also significantly impacts yield and grain quality and losses are estimated at $80M/yr to Canadian cereal producers. The animal industry responds by avoiding sources of mycotoxins and use of supplements to bind and/or detoxify the toxins that may be present. Our research group has recently installed new (first installation in NA) technology that facilitates commercial sorting of individual kernels of grain using Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy. Sources of grain can be separated into three fractions based on crude protein. During an infestation, FHB reduces protein deposition in individual kernels. Preliminary data using the sorting technology has been associated with recovery of >90% of the kernels and lowering levels of mycotoxins to low or non-detectable levels. Emphasis will be made to understand the impact of mycotoxins on immune capacity or the animal's ability to respond to disease challenge or mount a good vaccine response and reduce reliance on AGPs.