Valchev, I., V. Marutsova, I. Zarkov, A. Ganchev & Y. Nikolov, 2017.

Effects of aflatoxin B₁ alone or co-administered with Mycotox NG on performance and humoral immunity of turkey broilers.

Bulg. J. Vet. Med., 20, No 1, 38–50.

The contamination of poultry feeds with aflatoxins is a global problem responsible for considerable losses to poultry industry. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effects of aflatoxin B₁ and Mycotox NG, applied either independently or together, on performance, relative weights of visceral organs and antibody titres against Newcastle disease in turkey broilers. Experiments of 42-day duration were carried out with sixty 7-day-old female turkey broilers (meat TM strain) divided into one control and five treatment groups (n=10): Group І – control (fed standard feed according to the species and age of birds); Group II – experimental, whose feed was supplemented with 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG, Group ІІI – experimental, whose feed contained 0.2 mg/kg aflatoxin В₁, Group IV – experimental, whose feed contained 0.4 mg/kg aflatoxin В₁, Group V – experimental, supplemented with 0.2 mg/kg aflatoxin В₁ and 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG and Group VI – experimental, supplemented with 0.4 mg/kg aflatoxin В₁ and 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG. In Groups III and IV, production traits (live body weight, daily weight gain, feed intake) as well as antibody titres were reduced along with increased feed conversion and relative weights of liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas, proventriculus and gizzard. At the same time, relative weights of the spleen, thymus and bursa of Fabricius were statistically significantly lower. The supplementation of the feed of Groups V and VI with 0.5 g/kg Mycotox NG reduced and prevented some of deleterious effects of AFB₁ on production traits, antibody titres and relative weights of visceral organs.

Key words: aflatoxicosis B₁, turkey broilers, relative weights, humoral immunity, Mycotox NG