INFLUENCE OF MYCOTOXINS ON IMMUNE RESPONSES AGAINST SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM INFECTION OF BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

Forty broiler chickens, One - day old were randomly divided into four equal groups:  1^st group was immunized with 0.5 ml of whole sonicated salmonella antigens (WSSAgs), protein concentration 1.89 mg/ml. Two dose  two weeks intervals, S/C at 7 days old  and  the  chicks  fed   contaminated diet with  mycotoxins for 7 week,   2^nd group was immunized with WSSAgs only and treated  as  1^st group,  3^rd group fed diet contaminated with  mycotoxins  and 4^th group was fed  normal diets and served as control negative group, At 30 days, skin test, phagocytic index and serum levels of antibody titers were done, then 1^st ,2^nd and 3^rd groups were inoculated with  high dose of  virulent S.typhimurium , (1ml containing   1  10 ¹²  CFU/ml ), I/V, and  4^th group was inoculated I/V,1ml  sterile normal saline and served as control negative group , all chicks were sacrificed at  3 weeks post infection, it was recorded that mycotoxin suppress the  cellular and  humoral immune responses , phagocytic activity ,in addition to high mortality rate were found in  chicks fed contaminated diet with  and without immunization.