Experimental Chronic Intoxication of Chickens with Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Delor 103)

Abstract

Halouzka, R., V. Jurajda and Milada Vavrova: Experimental Chronic Intoxication of Chickens with Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Delor 103). Acta vet. Bmo, 62,1993: 151-157.The effect of long-term intake of feed contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the form of Delor 103, a technical preparation (42% chlorine), on the dynamics of development of the morphological changes in the organs of chickens was investigated in an in-vivo experiment.Brown Hisex layer hybrid cockerels from a commercial flock were fed a feed mixture contaminated with Delor 3 in dosed of 25 mg . kg-lor 50 mg • kg-l from 1 day to 10 weeks of age. At 2-week intervals they were weighed and sacrificed and relative mass of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen was determined. The lymphoid organs, liver, kidney, caecal valve, Harder's gland, oesophagus, gonads, skin and other grossly changed organs were subjected to histological examination. In evaluating the bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen use was also made of semiquantitative criteria. Pooled samples of the pectoral muscle were analysed for PCB content.The alterations in the clinical status, body growth and relative mass of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen correlated with the dose level. Even the lower dose produced lymphocytotoxic, hepatotoxic and vascularotoxic effects. The changes observed at the end of the experiment corresponded to chronic intoxication with PCB. Of interest were the findings of adenoma of the pancreas and mainly dystrophic lesions in the central and peripheral nervous system. Brown Hisex, chickens, PCB, organs, pathological changes• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are in consequence of their biological effects one of the causes of impairment of basic food products and foodstuffs of animal origin (Vavrova 1984). The main pathological changes found by a number of writers after intoxication with PCB in the organs of animals of various species including domestic fowls were included by Safe et al. (1987) in their monograph. In our country the effects of PCB on domestic fowls were studied by Herzig (1984Herzig ( ,1987, Lopuchovsky (1986) and Ko §utzky (1987). A detailed description of the morphological changes in the organs of chickens after short-term intake of highly toxic PCB doses and after long-term intake of medium toxic PCB doses was presented in a previous report by Halouzka et al. (1990).The object of the present study was to identify morphological changes in the organs of experimental chickens after long-term administration of low PCB doses. Materials and MethodsThe experimental birds were Brown Hisex layer hybrid cockerels. Delor 103 (produced by Chemko Str~ske n. p.), a technical preparation containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and 42% chlorine, was dissolved in xylene so that 500 m1 of the solution contained 5 g Delor 103 •

Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Humoral Immunity and Blood Serum Vitamin A and E Concentration of Chicks

“…Data concerning the health status of the birds, pathomorphological findings and PCB residues in the muscles were reported previously (Halouzka et al 1993). Before contamination, PCB concentration of the feed was below the detectability level.…”