Response of Chickens with Different Hemoglobin Genotypes to Phenylhydrazine-induced Anemia

Abstract

THE meager reports published on the effect of phenylhydrazine on hematology of animals indicate that it acts as a powerful hemolytic agent resulting in severe anemia. A single injection of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride into 6-week old chicks caused severe anemia (Saxena and Kumar, 1960). A 7-day period elapsed before the hematological parameters returned to normal. A single massive injection of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride in rats was observed to result in a rapid and drastic anemia (Tobiska and Brada, 1965). The objective of this experiment was to report the effects of feeding and injecting phenylhydrazine hydrochloride on the hematological parameters of chickens and to determine if the hematological responses of chickens with mutant hemoglobin types was similar. MATERIALS AND METHODS The source of birds and the experimental design are similar to that of paper one of the series (Stino and Washburn, 1970). The hematological parameters which were measured in the present study included:…