Susceptibility of Broiler Chickens to Deoxynivalenol Exposure via Artificial or Natural Dietary Contamination

Simple Summary This study evaluated the effect of diets artificially or naturally contaminated with 4000 mu g/kg deoxyvalenol (DON) on the intestinal integrity and nutrient absorption of broiler chickens. Young broiler chickens (14 days old) were more sensitive to DON than older birds (28 days old), and negative impacts were observed when diets were naturally contaminated with DON. Aside from the decrease in the villus height of the jejunum in young broilers, their capacity to absorb peptides was decreased, as shown by the down-regulation of a peptide transporter. However, this effect was compensated in older broilers by an increase in the expression of carbohydrate transporter. Multi-mycotoxin contamination of poultry diets is a recurrent problem, even if the mycotoxins levels are below EU recommendations. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the main studied mycotoxins due to its risks to animal production and health. When evaluating the effects of DON, one must consider that under practical conditions diets will not be contaminated solely with this mycotoxin. In the present study, broiler chickens were fed diets with negligible mycotoxin levels or with naturally or artificially contaminated diets containing approximately 4000 mu g/kg DON. Birds were sampled at D14 and D28. Naturally-contaminated diets caused the most harm to the birds, especially the young ones, which presented decreased jejunal villus height and increased lesions, down-regulation of a peptide transporter. At D28 broiler chickens seemed to have adapted to the dietary conditions, when no differences were observed in villus morphometry, together with up-regulation of a carbohydrate transporter. However, intestinal lesions remained present in these older birds.