Author(s)

Joao Dias de Toledo Arruda-Neto, Guacyara Tenorio Cavalcante, Guilherme de Paula Nogueira, Tulio Eduardo Rodrigues, Luiz Eduardo Correa Fonseca, Mitiko Saiki, Godofredo Camara Genofre

Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of S?o Paulo, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research, IPEN/CNEN-SP, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
Physics Institute, University of S?o Paulo, S?o Paulo, Brazil.
School of Veterinary Medicine, S?o Paulo State University/UNESP, Ara?atuba, Brazil.

Cobb broilers and domestic ducks, both one-day-old, were treated using ration doped with 20 ppm of uranyl nitrate. Uranium concentrations in the tibia (μg-U/g-bone) were measured by neutron activation analysis as function of the animals’ age, from the neonatal period to maturity. Results show that Uranium and Calcium qualitatively follow the same metabolic pathway, and that adult ducks incorporate on average ten times more Uranium than broilers. Data interpretation shows that the Uranium clearance rate in broilers is substantially higher than that in ducks, suggesting that metabolic characteristics favoring Calcium retention in bone may hinder the elimination of Uranium in ducks. The need for further comparative biochemistry studies between Galliformes and Anseriformes is addressed.

Cobb Broilers, Domestic Ducks, Uranium-Doped-Ration, Uranium-Content in Bones, U/Ca Metabolism, Uranium Residence Times

Arruda-Neto, J. , Cavalcante, G. , Paula Nogueira, G. , Rodrigues, T. , Correa Fonseca, L. , Saiki, M. and Genofre, G. (2014) Uranium Metabolism Associated with Ontogenetic Growth of Birds—Case Studies with Broilers and Ducks. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 5, 768-776. doi: 10.4236/abb.2014.59090.