Fungal diseases

- Prevention and control of mycotoxicosis

-  Mould-free feed and ingredients should used

-  Good agricultural practices

-  Management practices

-  Prevention of mycotoxicoses in poultry should focus on using feed and ingredients free of mycotoxins and on management practices that prevent mould growth and mycotoxin production during feed transport and storage.

-  Preharvest agricultural measures such as crop rotation, tilling, proper fertilization, and pest control can decrease some of the stressors that influence mycotoxin occurrence.

-  Postharvest techniques such as regular inspection of feed storage and feeding systems can identify flow problems that allow residual feed and enhance fungal activity and mycotoxin formation.

- Mycotoxins can form in decayed, crusted feed in feeders, feed mills, and storage bins; thorough cleaning and correcting the problem can have immediate benefits. Temperature extremes cause moisture condensation and migration in bins and promote mycotoxin formation.

-  Ventilation of poultry houses to avoid high relative humidity also decreases the moisture available for fungal growth and toxin formation in the feed.

-  Antifungal agents added to feeds to prevent fungal growth have no effect on toxin already formed but may be cost-effective in conjunction with other feed management practices.

-  Organic acids (0.5–1.5 g of propionic acid/kg of feed) are effective inhibitors; however, the effectiveness may be decreased by the particle size of feed ingredients and the buffering effect of certain ingredients.

-  Sorbent compounds such as hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) effectively bind and prevent absorption of aflatoxin.

-  Esterified glucomannan, derived from the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is protective against aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxins. It decreases toxicity through the binding and decreased bioavailability of fumonisins, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin.

-  Various other fermentation products, algae and plant extracts, and microbial feed additives have demonstrated ability to bind or degrade mycotoxins and may be applicable and appropriate for the situation.