Inducement of Enlarged Hearts and Muscular Dystrophy in Turkey Poults With Dietary Silver

Five experiments were conducted to determine the effect of adding silver acetate or nitrate to practical diets on growth of Large White turkey poults and incidence of pathological signs. The highest level of silver (900 p.p.m.) depressed growth rate, reduced packed cell volume, slightly reduced hemoglobin level and caused cardiac enlargement. The high silver level also induced a varying incidence of degeneration of the gizzard musculature which was completely prevented by adding 1 p.p.m. selenium or partially by adding 50 I.U. vitamin E/kg. diet. The anemia was of the microcytic, hyperchromic type and was not prevented by selenium or vitamin E. A high percentage of the enlarged hearts had a rounded apex similar to that observed in round heart disease in turkeys. Feeding different basal diets containing silver showed that one having 10% distillers’ dried solubles prevented the enlarged hearts. Copper at 50 p.p.m. completely reversed the effects of silver on growth rate, blood and cardiac tissue but 5 p.p.m. was inadequate. The results show that a high level of silver induced both a copper and selenium deficiency when added to practical diets for turkey poults.z