Cloacal bursa morphology in turkey broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 alone or co-administered with Mycotox NG

Abstract

Aflatoxins are toxic metabolites of moulds from the genus Aspergillus (Aspergillus flavus and Asper-gillus parasiticus being the main producers). The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 on bursa of Fabricius morphology. Also, the possibility for prevention of toxic effects of AFB1 by feed supplementation of a mycosorbent (Mycotox NB) was studied. Experi-ments were carried out with sixty 7-day-old female turkey broilers (meat TM strain) divided into one control and five treatment groups (n=10). Groups were as followed: Group I – control (fed standard feed according to the species and age of birds); Group II – experimental, whose feed was supple-mented with 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG, Group III– experimental, whose feed contained 0.2 mg/kg afla-toxin B1, Group IV – experimental, whose feed contained 0.4 mg/kg aflatoxin B1, Group V – experi-mental, supplemented with 0.2 mg/kg aflatoxin B1 and 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG and Group VI – ex-perimental, supplemented with 0.4 mg/kg aflatoxin B1 and 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG. The duration of the experiments was 42 days. The changes in bursal morphology in control and treated groups were fol-lowed out after the end of the study. In birds from experimental groups ІІI and IV, atrophy and de-generative changes have occurred in the bursa of Fabricius: reduction of lymphoid cell - populations in lymphoid follicles along with dystrophy. Feed supplementation with the tested toxin binder (Groups V and VI) resulted in partial neutralisation of deleterious effects of AFB1 on severity of his-tological lesions: interfollicular oedema, considerably lower lymphoid follicle rarefaction.

Keywords

• : aflatoxin в1
• turkey broilers
• bursa of fabricius
• mycotox ng
• histopathological changes