In order to assess ochratoxin A (OA) and T-2 toxin (T-2) binding ability of two commercial sorbents, both in vitro and in vivo trials with broilers were performed. Crude OA and T-2 extracts from contaminated grain were used to assess in vitro binding ability of two sorbents (Zeotek [Zk] and Mycofix [Mx]), by quantifying free mycotoxin through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. For in vivo trial, a 3 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement was used for this experiment, being the factors: adsorbents (none, Zk, and Mx), OA (0 and 567 parts per billion [ppb]) and T-2 (0 and 927 ppb). OA and T-2 contaminated wheat and corn, respectively, were added to sorghum-soybean meal diets to meet 567 ppb of OA and 927 ppb of T-2. Mycotoxins were fed alone or combined in treatments. After 21 days, blood chemistry, gross, and histological evaluations were performed. Relative weights of liver, kidney, and bursa of Fabricius were obtained. Zk had the highest OA and T-2 in vitro binding ability (100% and 8.67%, respectively). Chickens fed OA with or without sorbents had a lower body weight and feed intake reduction. However, those birds fed T-2 were partly protected by a sorbent. Birds fed both toxins showed toxic additive effects, and no protection of any adsorbent was observed. A significant reduction in plasma proteins, albumin, and globulins was a characteristic observed in all birds fed diets with OA both with or without adsorbents. Uric acid level in blood was increased in all chickens fed OA-contaminated diets. Histological findings observed in birds fed OA-contaminated diets were necrosis of kidney tubular cells, swollen and necrotic hepatocytes, bile ducts hyperplasia, and increased diameter of proventriculus glands. In birds that received T-2 alone, only the liver, with the same kind of lesions, was affected. According to these results, it can be concluded that there is not a relation between in vitro and in vivo trials. OA toxic effects could not be counteracted by any sorbent. T-2 toxicity could be partially counteracted by an adsorbent used in this research.

Salmonella Enteritidis colonizes the intestinal tract of poultry and causes foodborne illness in humans. Reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis colonization in the intestinal tract of poultry reduces potential carcass contamination during slaughter. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an avian-specific probiotic combined with Salmonella Enteritidis-, Salmonella Typhimurium-, and Salmonella Heidelberg-specific antibodies on the cecal colonization and organ invasion of Salmonella Enteritidis in broiler as well as on body weights. The treatment group was defined as chicks spray-vaccinated with Avian Pac Plus at the hatchery and given Avian Pac Plus for the first 3 days after placement. An intermediate treatment was given at 10 and 14 days, 2 days prior to vaccination and 2 days postvaccination. All birds were vaccinated with Newcastle disease vaccine, La Sota virus (one drop/eye) at 12 days of age. A final treatment was given 3 days preslaughter. The control group was defined as chicks not given Avian Pac Plus at any time. Six hours after oral administration of the probiotic suspension (treatment group) or water (control group) at placement, the chicks were challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis. All chickens were orally inoculated with 0.25 ml of Salmonella Enteritidis that contained 4 x 10(7) CFU/1.0 ml. Cecal colonization and organ invasion were evaluated for Salmonella Enteritidis on days 0, 1, 3, 7, 10, 17, 24, 31, 38, and 41. The probiotic-treated group had a significantly lower concentration of Salmonella Enteritidis cecal colonization at days 3, 7, 10, 17, 24, 31, 38, and 41 when compared to the nontreated, control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the isolation of Salmonella Enteritidis from the internal organs (liver and spleen) when probiotic-treated and nonprobiotic-treated groups were compared. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the mean body weight between the two experimental groups at each collection period. These results indicated that a combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus faecium, and Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Heidelberg-Specific antibodies have a beneficial effect in reducing the colonization of Salmonella Enteritidis in market-aged broilers.

To evaluate the effect of cellulosic polymers (CEL) and curcumin (CUR) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxic effects on performance, and the biochemical and immunological parameters in broiler chickens, 150 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five groups with three replicates of 10 chickens per pen: Negative Control (feed); AFB1 (feed + 2 ppm AFB1); CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + Curcumin 0.2%); CEL (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulosic polymers); and, CEL + CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulose polymers + 0.2% Curcumin). Every week, body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated. On day 21, liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and intestine from five broilers per replicate per group were removed to obtain relative organ weight. Histopathological changes in liver, several biochemical biomarkers, antibody titers, and muscle and skin pigmentation were also recorded. Dietary addition of 0.3% CEL and 0.2% CUR separately significantly diminished some of the toxic effects resulting from AFB1 on performance parameters, relative organs weight, histopathology, immune response, and serum biochemical variables (P < 0.05); however, the combination of CUR and CEL showed a better-integrated approach for the management of poultry health problems that are related with the consumption of AFB1, since they have different mechanisms of action with different positive effects on the responses of broiler chickens.

No abstract

Ten infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) isolates were recovered from broiler chickens in the states of Queretaro and Guanajuato in Mexico. The viruses were isolated from trachea, lung, kidney, and cecal tonsils of birds that showed respiratory signs in spite of vaccination with Massachusetts (Mass) and Connecticut strains of IBV. Each isolate was identified by an accession number from 1 to 10. Six of the isolates were neutralized by Mass monoclonal antibodies, whereas the other four were not. In addition, these four isolates did not produce lesions in embryos in the first five to seven passes. These four isolates were further characterized by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. The electrophoretic patterns for the four isolates were identical but were different from other known IBV isolates.

Herein we report a description of gross and microscopic lesions found in specific pathogen-free chicken embryos caused by UNAM-97 infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) variant strain after the eighth passage. Embryos were divided into three groups and were inoculated in the chorioallantoic sac with 0.2 mL of UNAM-97, Mass 41 IBV (positive control), or sterile PBS (negative control). Forty-eight hours later the allatoic fluid was taken and used to start a cycle of eight passages through 9-d-old embryos. Seven days after the last passage, embryos were harvested and macroscopic lesions in all organs were recorded. Proventriculus and gizzard samples were obtained from all embryos and routinely processed for microscopic and ultrastructural examinations. The UNAM-97 IBV variant strain caused two macroscopic lesions uncommon for Mexican strains: thin-walled proventriculus and gizzard, as well as urate accumulation within an extra-embryonic peritoneal sac, leaving the body through the umbilical duct and accompanied by the yolk sac. At microscopic level, two relevant findings were observed to be produced by this variant. In the proventriculus, there was a decrease in the gland papillary branching, while the gizzard showed a significant reduction in mucosa thickness and tubular-to-proliferative-cell ratio, as well as an absence of hyaline secretion in the lumen. Electrodense material scattered in proventricular and gizzard cells was observed, with a structure consistent with that of coronaviruses. These pathological chicken embryo findings have not been reported as being caused by other IBV strains in Mexico.

1. Early granulocytic response was evaluated in chick embryos inoculated with herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT). 2. Fifty 10-d-old specific pathogen-free embryos were divided into two groups, inoculated via yolk sac. Group 1 were inoculated with a complete dose of HVT and group 2 with vaccinediluent only. 3. Samples were taken for histological evaluation of yolk sac, liver, chorioallantoic membrane, brain and heart from 5 embryos per group on days 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 of embryonic life. 4. Increases in numbers of granulocytes were detected on days 14 and 16 in the yolk sac, and on d 14 and 20 in the liver of in embryos, which received HVT. In addition, the chorioallantoic membrane was infiltrated with granulocytes. 5. The results confirm that granulopoiesis in the yolk sac is stimulated in the early stages of incubation if a viral antigen is present. The virus also appears to trigger the presence of granulocytes in embryonic liver and chorioallantoic membranes.

A group of 1-day-old commercial leghorn chickens was prophylactically treated with lymphokines obtained from lymphocyte cultures of chickens previously infected with Salmonella enteritidis (S. enteritidis-immune lymphokines [SE-ILK]) with the objective to investigate the effect of SE-ILK on development of Newcastle disease (ND) infection caused by Chimalguacan strain, a Mexican velogenic ND virus (vNDV). Clinical signs, histologic lesions, and hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) serum titers were compared with four other groups, namely, chickens without SE-ILK treatment with virus challenge; with SE-ILK without virus challenge; with nonimmune lymphokine (NILK) treatment and virus challenge; with lymphokine treatment and no virus challenge. SE-ILK was administered intraperitoneally in a dose of 0.5 ml/chicken and was followed 30 min later with the challenge of vNDV in a dose of 10(7.6) 50% embryo lethal dose/ml per bird. Birds were observed during 21 days of postchallenge. Detection of histologic changes and virus isolation procedures were carried out on the third, seventh, 14th, and 21st postinoculation days. HI tests were performed first before treatment and later on the days of histologic sample collection except on the third postinoculation day. Results showed that SE-ILK administration conferred resistance to the chickens because: 1) it significantly diminished the severity of ND infection by inhibiting appearance of clinical signs (P < 0.001), lesions (P < 0.005), and histopathologic changes (P < 0.005); 2) it decreased vNDV isolation rate from the organs (P < 0.001), and 3) it potentialized and even accelerated (P < 0.005) primary immune response by antibodies in the presence of vNDV.