Effects of lactic acid bacteria and smectite after aflatoxin B₁ challenge on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and blood parameters of broilers

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and smectite on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and blood parameters of broilers that were fed diets contaminated with aflatoxin B (AFB ). A total of 480 newly hatched male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated into four groups with six replicates of 20 chicks each. The broilers were fed diets with the AFB (40 μg/kg) challenge or without (control) it and supplemented with smectite (3.0 g/kg) or LAB (4.0 × 10 CFU/kg) based on the AFB diet. The trial lasted for 42 days. The results showed that during days 1-42 of AFB challenge, the feed intake (FI) and body weight gain (BWG) were depressed (p < .05). The inclusion of LAB and smectite increased (p < .05) the BWG by 71.58 and 41.89 g/bird, respectively, which reached the level of the control diet (p ≥ .05), but there were no differences (p ≥ .05) in performance between LAB and smectite. LAB and smectite also increased (p < .05) the apparent total tract digestibility of the crude protein. Regarding the blood parameters, AFB decreased (p < .05) the levels of red blood cell count, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, haemoglobin, albumin and total protein. In the meantime, the AFB increased (p < .05) leucocyte counts, urea nitrogen, cholesterol, total bilirubin, creatinine, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and alkaline phosphatase. By contrast, LAB and smectite affected (p < .05) these parameters in the opposite direction. It can be concluded that after the AFB challenge, LAB and smectite have similar effects on the growth and health of the broilers, suggesting that LAB could be an alternative against AFB in commercial animal feeds.

Effects of licorice extract, probiotic, toxin binder and poultry litter biochar on performance, immune function, blood indices and liver histopathology of broilers exposed to aflatoxin-B1

“…Almost similar to our results, the addition of 1 mg AFB 1 /kg to Hubbard male broiler chickens from 1 to 42 d ( Modirsanei et al., 2008 ), 2 mg/kg of diet to broiler chickens ( Shannon et al., 2017 ), 1 mg/kg of diet to Ross male chickens from 1 to 21 d ( Gowda et al., 2008 ), 40 μg/kg AFB 1 to Arbor Acres broiler chickens ( Liu et al., 2018 ), and 2.5 mg AFB 1 /kg to Japanese quails ( Bagherzadeh Kasmani et al., 2012 ) decreased BW, feed intake, FCR, and productive efficiency index. Aflatoxin B1 side effects on growth performance have been related with a decrease in the protein and energy utilization ( Verma et al., 2004 ), probably as a consequence of a deterioration of the digestive and metabolic efficiency of the broiler chickens.…”

“…The basic mechanism seems to involve chemisorption of AFs in the GIT and reduction their bioavailability ( Chen et al., 2014 ). In addition, addition of diatomaceous ( Modirsanei et al., 2008 ), LAB, and smectite ( Liu et al., 2018 ) and 74 and 222 mg total curcumnoids/kg of diet ( Zhang et al., 2016 ) improved broiler chickens performance as it was comparable with the control group.…”

Dietary Lactic Acid Bacteria Modulate Yolk Components and Cholesterol Metabolism by Hmgr Pathway in Laying Hens

“…Furthermore, the per gram yolk concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol, phospholipid, and phosvitin were also influenced by the dietary LAB in the present study. This was similar to the report that LAB increased hemoglobin, albumin and total protein, but decreased cholesterol, total bilirubin, creatinine of broilers (Liu et al, 2018c;Wang et al, 2018). Others reported that L. acidophilus (strain D2/CSL CECT 4529) decreased egg lipid content of laying hens (Forte et al, 2016); L. plantarum (strain MDL1118) and E. faecium strain (MDF1104) removed yolk cholesterol by 58 and 38%, respectively, when incubated in medium containing 4% egg yolk (Liu et al, 2013).…”

The effects and combinational effects of Bacillus subtilis and montmorillonite on the intestinal health status in laying hens

“…Montmorillonite ( MMT ), an aluminosilicate mineral clay, has particular physical and chemical properties, such as large surface area, strong adsorptive capacity, and standout adhesive capability ( Segad et al., 2010 ). The MMT can alleviate the adverse effects of mycotoxin-contaminated diets and reduce the population of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract of poultry ( Liu et al., 2018 , Qu et al., 2018 , Chen et al., 2019a ). Our recent study has demonstrated that MMT can enhance gut barrier functions of laying hens in late production ( Chen et al., 2019c ).…”