Gross intestinal adaptations in relation to broiler performance during chronic aflatoxin exposure

A. W. Yunus, K. Ghareeb, A. A. M. Abd-El-Fattah, M. Twaruzek, J. Bohm
2011 Poultry Science  
The present trial was conducted to study some morphological, digestive, and electrophysiological variables of the small intestine during chronic exposure of broilers to aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ). Ross 308 male chicks (7 d old) were randomly allotted to control (no AFB 1 ), low AFB 1 (0.07 mg of AFB 1 /kg), or high AFB 1 (0.75 mg of AFB 1 /kg) diet. The high AFB 1 diet resulted in reduced (P ≤ 0.002) bird performance during the first 4 wk of exposure, whereas the low AFB 1 diet temporarily reduced
more » ... P = 0.034) the bird performance during wk 3 of exposure. During wk 4 of exposure, a linear (P ≤ 0.013) decrease in the unit weight of both the duodenum and jejunum was observed with increasing levels of AFB 1 . This reduction in unit weight appeared to
doi:10.3382/ps.2011-01448 pmid:21753204 fatcat:zwo2dx2bqveynhvoh4emye6we4