Amiloride effects on the incidence of pulmonary hypertension syndrome (ascites) in Khazak hen exposed to cold environmental temperatures in Zabol

Objectives: The incidence of pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS; ascites) was evaluated in two experiments using Khazak hen exposed after 3 wk of age to cool environmental temperatures (10 to 20 C). Materials Methods: In Experiment 1, 3- to 6-wk-old birds were fed a grower diet to which 0 (Control), 5, 10,15%amiloride had been added. All groups in Experiment 1 were fed a finisher ration containing no amiloride during Weeks 7 to 8. In Experiment 2, the Control group received no amiloride, a second group received 15% amilorideduring the grower phase only (Weeks 3 to 6), and the third group received 15% amiloride during the grower and finisher phases (Weeks 3 to 8). Cumulative PHS mortality was significantly reduced by amiloride in both experiments. Results Conclusion: Compared with Controls, birds fed 15% amiloride did not have lower (P = .077) final body weights in Experiment 1 but did have significantly lower final body weights in Experiment 2. Lower levels of amiloride significantly reduced PHS mortality without reducing body weights. Amiloridenot improve feed conversion in either experiment. Neither body weight on Day 1 or 21 nor net Day 1 to 21 weight gain were predictive of susceptibility to PHS during the subsequent grower and finisher intervals in either experiment. On Day 50 of Experiment 2, large healthy birds fed 15% amiloride had significantly lower right:total ventricular weight ratios than control birds, indicating that amiloride reduced right ventricular hypertrophy, presumably by reducing pulmonary arterial pressure.