H. Oguz

Effects of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone,synthetic zeolite and bentonite on serum biochemical and haematological characters of broiler chickens during aflatoxicosis

1. Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP), synthetic zeolite (SZ) and bentonite (BNT), when incorporated into the diets at 3, 5 and 5 g/kg respectively, were evaluated for their ability to reduce the deleterious effects of 2.5 mg aflatoxin (AF; 83.06% AFB1, 12.98% AFB2, 2.84% AFG1, and 1.12% AFG2,)/kg diet on growing broiler chickens from 1 day to 3 weeks of age. A total of 210 chicks were divided into 10 treatment groups (control, AF, PVPP, AF plus PVPP, PVPP plus SZ, AF plus PVPP plus SZ, PVPP plus BNT, AF plus PVPP plus BNT, AF plus SZ and AF plus BNT) each consisting of 21 chicks. 2. When compared to control, the AF treatment significantly decreased serum total protein, albumin, inorganic phosphorus, uric acid and total cholesterol, and the values of haematocrit, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, thrombocyte counts, percentage of lymphocyte and monocyte counts; increased values of white blood cell and heterophil counts. 3. Decreased serum albumin caused by AF was significantly ameliorated by PVPP plus BNT. A similar increase was obtained in serum total cholesterol by adding BNT to the AF-containing diet. 4. The serum uric acid, white blood cell counts and percentage of lymphocyte and monocyte counts were numerically intermediate between control and AF values in all of the adsorbent treatments containing AF. The change in thrombocyte counts was alleviated by all of the adsorbent treatments containing AF, except AF plus SZ. The addition of the adsorbents in the AF-free diets did not significantly alter the serum biochemical and haematological parameters compared to controls.

Effect of clinoptilolite on performance of broiler chickens during experimental aflatoxicosis

1. The amelioration of aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens was examined by feeding 2 concentrations of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). Clinoptilolite (CLI), incorporated into the diet at 15 and 25 g/kg, was evaluated for its ability to reduce the deleterious effects of 2·5 mg total aflatoxin (AF; 76·40% AFB1, 16·12% AFB2, 6·01% AFG1 and 1·47% AFG in diet on growing broiler chicks from 1 to 21 d of age. A total of 360 broiler chicks were divided into 6 treatment groups (6 replicates of 10 broilers each): control, AF, CLI (15 g/kg), AF plus CLI (15 g/kg), CLI (25 g/kg), and AF plus CLI (25 g/kg). 2. Compared to controls, the AF treatment had significantly decreased body weight gain from week 1 onwards. The adverse effect of AF on food consumption (8·0%) and food conversion ratio (8·3%) was also shown over the entire 21-d feeding period. 3. The addition of CLI (15 g/kg) to an AF-containing diet significantly reduced the deleterious effects of AF on food consumption and body weight gain. Food conversion ratio was also slightly improved by adding CLI (15 g/kg) to AF-containing diets. Food consumption, body weight gain and food conversion ratio values were rendered numerically intermediate between AF and control groups by the addition of CLI (25 g/kg) to the AF-containing diet. 4. The addition of CLI (both 15 and 25 g/kg) to the AF-free diet did not produce any significant changes compared with the controls, except for decreased total food consumption in the CLI (25 g/kg)-alone group. 5. These results suggest that CLI (15 g/kg) addition effectively diminished the detrimental effects of AF on the values investigated. Also, the lower dietary concentration of CLI (15 g/kg) was more effective than the greater concentration against the adverse effects of AF on the variables investigated in this study.

Evaluation of the detoxifying effect of yeast glucomannan on aflatoxicosis in broilers as assessed by gross examination and histopathology

1. We evaluated the efficacy of yeast glucomannan (Mycosorb®), incorporated into the diet at 0·5 and 1 g/kg, in reducing the detrimental effects of 2 mg aflatoxin/kg diet on growing broiler chicks from 1 to 21 d of age. 2. A total of 240 male broiler chicks (Ross-308) was divided into 6 treatment groups [Control, Aflatoxin (AF), Yeast glucomannan (YG; 0·5 g/kg), AF plus YG (0·5 g/kg), YG (1 g/kg), and AF plus YG (1 g/kg)]. 3. Ten chicks from each of the 6 groups were slaughtered and pathological examinations were performed on the liver, bursa of Fabricius, thymus, spleen and kidney. 4. The aflatoxin treatment caused moderate to severe hydropic/fatty degeneration in the hepatocytes of the liver and the tubular epithelium of the kidneys, and follicular depletion in the bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. 5. Yeast glucomannan added to the aflatoxin-containing diet at 0·5 and 1 g/kg diminished the severity of pathological changes, slightly and moderately, respectively. The number of affected organs was also reduced in the group given 1 g/kg yeast glucomannan, compared to the aflatoxin group. 6. These results show that yeast glucomannan effectively diminished the adverse effects of aflatoxin on the pathological changes and that the higher concentration of yeast glucomannan (1 g/kg) was more effective than the lower concentration (0·5 g/kg) and itself had no adverse effect.

Effect of clinoptilolite on performance of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) during experimental aflatoxicosis.

Clinoptilolite (CLI, a natural zeolite), incorporated into the diet at 50 g/kg, was evaluated for its ability to reduce the deleterious effects of 2.0 mg total aflatoxin (AF;83.06% AFB1, 12.98% AFB2, 2.84% AFG1 and 1.12% AFG2)/kg diet on growing Japanese quail chicks from 10 to 45 d of age. A total of 40 Japanese quail chicks were divided into 4 treatment groups (control, AF, CLI, AF plus CLI) each consisting of 10 chicks. The performance of the birds was evaluated. The AF treatment significantly decreased food consumption and body weight gain from the 3rd week onwards. The adverse effect of AF on food conversion ratio was also significant from week 4 of the experiment. The addition of CLI to an AF-containing diet significantly reduced the deleterious effects of AF on food consumption, body weight gain and food conversion ratio. Food consumption was reduced by 14% in quail chicks consuming the AF diet without CLI, but by only 6% for quail chicks consuming the AF plus CLI diet. Similarly, overall body weight gain was reduced by 27% in birds consuming the AF diet without CLI, but by only 8% for birds consuming the AF plus CLI diet. The addition of CLI to the AF-free diet significantly decreased food consumption and body weight gain during week 4, but these parameters were similar to the controls in week 5. No mortality was observed in any of the groups. These results suggest that CLI effectively diminished the detrimental effects of AF on the variables investigated in this study.

Efficacy of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone in reducing the immunotoxicity of aflatoxin in growing broilers

1. Protective action of an enzyme-linked polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP, Mycofix ® Plus) against the immunosuppressive effect of afatoxins (AF) was evaluated by determination of peripheral blood T-lymphocyte proportions and splenic plasma cell counts. Histological changes in lymphoid organs were also investigated by light microscopy. One-d-old broiler chicks (Hybro) received 2·5 mg/kg diet AF (83·06% AFB1, 12·98% AFB2, 2·84% AFG1, 1·12% AFG2) with or without PVPP (3 g/kg diet) until 21 d of age. 2. When compared with the controls, AF treatment significantly decreased peripheral T-lymphocyte counts. AF caused a slight decrease in splenic plasma cell counts. The addition of PVPP to an AF-containing diet significantly increased T-lymphocyte counts. Splenic plasma cell counts were numerically intermediate between control and AF groups. 3. The dietary addition of PVPP to AF-free diet did not significantly alter either T-lymphocyte or splenic plasma cell counts.

The preventive effect of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone on aflatoxicosis in broilers

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the efficiacy of a polyvinylpolypyrrolidone for protection against aflatoxicosis in broiler chicks. For this purpose 132 day-old broiler chicks (Hybro) were used. They were divided into four groups, each of 33 chicks. Group 1: control; Group 2: 3 g of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) per kg of diet; Group 3: 2.5 mg of aflotoxin (AF) per kg of diet; Group 4: 2.5 mg of AF per kg of diet plus 3 g of PVPP per kg of diet. The chicks were maintained on these treatments for 21 days, and then 15 broilers from each treatment group were killed for pathological examination. Hepatic lesions in broilers of AF treatment group were characterized as diffuse and severe hydropic degeneration, bile duct hyperplasia and periportal fibrosis. In the AF plus PVPP group, the liver of eight broilers showed slight or moderate hydropic degeneration. Grossly, the bursa of Fabricius was atrophied and sections revealed necrosis and depletion of lymphocytes from follicles in 12 broilers of the AF group and two of the AF plus PVPP group. In the spleen of six chicks from the AF treatment group Iymphoid areas were depleted. Thymuses from nine chicks fed the AF-alone diet showed atrophy and depletion of lymphocytes from the cortical and medullary areas. Similar changes were observed in the thymuses of four chicks from the AF plus PVPP group. The severity of atrophy in the lymphoid organs was more pronounced in the AF group than in the AF plus PVPP treatment group. In this study it was found that both the number of affected broilers and the severity of lesions were significantly decreased in the AF plus PVPP treatment group compared with AF-alone treatment. These findings suggested that PVPP can diminish the toxicity of aflatoxin in broiler chicks.

Occurrence of aflatoxins in layer feed and corn samples in Konya province, Turkey.

The natural occurrence ofaflatoxin was investigated in layer feed and corn samples brought to Konya Veterinary Control and Research Institute Laboratory between 15 April and 15 December 2002. Seventy-eight samples (52 feeds, 26 corn samples) were analysed for total aflatoxin (B1 + B2 + G1 + G2) by an ELISA screening method. Aflatoxin contamination was determined in 37 feed samples (71.1%) and 15 corn samples (57.7%), with a range of 1.5–133 µg kg−1. However, a majority ofthe aflatoxin contamination was less than 5 μg kg−1 (50% within the positive samples). Two feed samples and two corn samples exceeded the maximum tolerated levels in feed (20 µg kg−1) and feedstuffs (50 µg kg−1) for total flatoxin.

Determination of the effects of aflatoxin B1 given in ovo on the proximal tibial growth plate of broiler chickens: histological, histometric and immunohistochemical findings

Detrimental effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the embryonic development of broiler tibia and its proximal growth plate were determined by means of histological, histometric and immunohistochemical methods. For this, 420 fertile eggs from parent stocks of Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into five groups according to the proposed treatment: a control untreated group, a group injected with 30% ethanol and three further groups to be injected with 5, 15 or 40 ng AFB1. The eggs were injected into the air space prior to incubation. Five eggs from each group were opened at 9, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 21 days of incubation and tibial tissue samples were removed, dissected of muscle and connective tissues, and processed by means of routine histological techniques. The cell proliferation rate of the epiphyseal growth plate cells was determined by immunohistochemical assay of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. The results showed that both proliferative and hypertrophic zones narrowed significantly (P<0.05), when compared with the controls, in all of the AFB1-treated groups whereas the transitional zone thickened, especially in the group given 40 ng AFB1 group. The PCNA positivity indices of 15 and 40 ng AFB1-treated groups were significantly higher (P<0.05) on days 11, 13, 17, 19 and 21 of incubation. It was concluded that in ovo-administered AFB1 adversely affected embryonic development of the tibial growth plate, and that affected hatched broilers might also be more susceptible to skeletal disorders during growth.