Antithyroid Activity of Goitrin

Twenty-one samples of water were collected from commercial egg production farms in Georgia with or without a history of fatty liver syndrome. These samples plus a sample of water from the University of Georgia Poultry Farm were analyzed for various mineral elements by atomic absorption, direct reading emission spectroscopy and by neutron activation. Water samples from farms with a history of fatty liver syndrome had significantly more calcium, magnesium, strontium, sodium, iron and barium than water samples from farms reporting no significant problem with fatty liver syndrome. Levels of manganese, boron, copper, zinc and aluminum were not significantly different. Although the results do not prove that water quality is the cause of the disease, they do demonstrate an association of hardness of water with fatty liver syndrome that should be further investigated. POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 719-724, 1976 at Penn State U niersity (Pterno L b) on Sptem er 7, 2016 http://ps.rdjournals.org/ D ow nladed from 720 JENSEN, CASEY, SAVAGE AND BRITTON gate the effect of source of carbohydrate on liver fat accumulation in laying hens, a marked difference in the quantity of fat accumulated between the two locations was observed. Hens fed diets containing corn at W.S.U. had from 17 to 19 g. fat per liver per hen, while those at U.GA had 7 g. or less (Jensen et al., 1976). Although a number of environmental factors could be responsible for the geographical variation in the incidence of the fatty liver syndrome in the field and for differences in liver fat accumulation between laboratories, source of drinking water would appear to be a logical factor to investigate. The significance of water for livestock and poultry with respect to nutrients and toxic substances has recently been reviewed (National Research Council, 1974). The water available for use in poultry experiments at U.GA is soft (<60 mg. CaC0 3 or equivalent mg./l.) while that at W.S.U. is hard. The N.R.C. report, however, did not indicate that hardness of water was associated with reduced performance or disease problems in livestock or poultry. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the water obtained from several commercial egg farms in Georgia to determine if the incidence of fatty liver syndrome was associated with the mineral content of the water.