Effects of dietary melamine and cyanuric acid in young Pekin ducks and weanling pigs

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 13, 2012).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Thesis advisor: Dr. David R. LedouxIncludes bibliographical references.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2012."May 2012"In 2007, melamine (MEL) and cyanuric acid (CYA) were added to feed ingredients in an attempt to artificially increase their crude protein and thus their momentary value. However, once ingested MEL and CYA can form insoluble compounds and precipitate in the kidneys, leading to decreased renal function and in some cases death. To determine the effects of MEL and CYA alone and in combination three experiments were conducted. Two experiments involved young Pekin ducks while the other involved weanling barrows fed contaminated diets for 21 consecutive days. Results indicate that [greater than or equal to] 1.00% MEL is needed to cause reduced performance in Pekin ducks and decreased body weight gain in barrows. In ducks [greater than or equal to] 0.75 % MEL resulted in renal lesions that were similar to those documented in cats and dogs from the 2007 incident. However, the kidney of pigs was unaffected when up to 1.25 % MEL was included in their diet. Inclusion of CYA to a diet contaminated with MEL was able to alleviate the negative effects of MEL in ducks but caused increased toxicity in pigs. It was also determined that up to 1.50% CYA in the diet of a Pekin ducks does not cause changes in performance, serum chemistry values, or microscopic renal appearance. Data also suggest that bile is used as a route to eliminate MEL from the body in both ducks and pigs. Finally, it was determined that MEL can be deposited in the muscle of pigs and ducks that consumed diets contaminated with MEL