Temporary modulation of responses to common vaccines and serum cation status in broilers during exposure to low doses of aflatoxin B1.

The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of low doses of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on responses to common vaccines and levels of serum cations in broilers. Male broilers at 7 d of age were fed control (no AFB1), a 75 µg of AFB1/kg (75 ppb of AFB1) diet, or a 750 µg of AFB1/kg (750 ppb of AFB1) diet. The 750 ppb of AFB1 diet resulted in a temporary increase in ELISA titers against Newcastle disease virus (P = 0.014) and infectious bursal disease virus (P = 0.005) during wk 2 and 4 of exposure, respectively, compared with the control diet. Conversely, lower (P ≤ 0.01) serum protein concentrations were found in broilers under the 750 ppb AFB1 diet during wk 2 and 4. During wk 2 of exposure, lower serum levels of potassium were noted in birds under both the 75 (P = 0.037) and 750 ppb (P = 0.000) AFB1 diets compared with those under the control diet. During wk 5, higher serum magnesium (P = 0.004), and sodium (P = 0.000) under the 750 ppb AFB1 diet were found compared with the control diet. These data indicate that low dietary levels of AFB1 can temporarily increase or decrease the studied serological variables in broilers depending upon the stage of exposure.