Cecal volatile fatty acids and broiler chick susceptibility to Salmonella typhimurium colonization as affected by aflatoxins and T-2 toxin

USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, College Station, Texas 77845, USA. kubena@usda.tamu.edu

Four experiments were conducted using day-of-hatch, mixed-sex broiler chicks to evaluate the effects of aflatoxins and T-2 toxin on cecal volatile fatty acids (VFA) and the susceptibility to Salmonella colonization. All chicks in these experiments were challenged orally with 10(4) cfu of Salmonella typhimurium (ST) on Day 3. In Experiments 1 and 2, chicks were fed diets containing 0, 2.5, or 7.5 mg aflatoxins/kg of diet and were allowed to develop their microflora naturally. In Experiment 3, all chicks were orally gavaged on the day of hatch with a competitive exclusion (CE) culture (PREEMPT) and were fed diets containing 0, 2.5, or 7.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg. In Experiment 4, the chicks were fed diets containing 0, 7.5, or 15.0 mg T-2 toxin/kg and one-half of the chicks were orally gavaged on the day of hatch with the CE culture. In Experiments 1 and 2, with the exception of increased total VFA at 5 d in chicks fed the 7.5 mg T-2 aflatoxins/kg diet, there were no treatment effects on cecal propionic acid, total VFA, or incidence or severity of ST colonization. In Experiment 3, the only alteration in concentration of cecal propionic acid or total VFA was a significant reduction in total VFA at 5 d in chicks fed the 2.5 mg T-2 toxin/kg diet. No significant treatment differences were observed for numbers of Salmonella cecal culture-positive chicks or for numbers of ST in the cecal contents. In Experiment 4, with minor exceptions, the chicks treated with the CE culture had higher cecal concentrations of propionic acid and were less susceptible to Salmonella colonization than the non-CE-treated chicks. In the non-CE-treated chicks, T-2 toxin had no effect on any of the parameters, and 85 to 90% of the chicks were Salmonella cecal culture-positive. In the CE-treated chicks, there was a decrease in propionic acid concentration at 3 and 11 d and an increase in susceptibility to Salmonella colonization of the chicks fed the 15.0 mg T-2 toxin/kg diet. These results indicate that cecal concentrations of VFA can be affected by toxins, such as high concentrations of T-2 toxin, and that resistance to Salmonella colonization may be reduced. Further research is necessary to determine the biological significance of these changes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Li, J. R. Harkema, C. F. Cuff, and J. J. Pestka Deoxynivalenol Exacerbates Viral Bronchopneumonia Induced by Respiratory Reovirus Infection Toxicol. Sci., February 1, 2007; 95(2): 412 - 426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. E. O'Dea, G. M. Fasenko, G. E. Allison, D. R. Korver, G. W. Tannock, and L. L. Guan Investigating the effects of commercial probiotics on broiler chick quality and production efficiency. Poult. Sci., October 1, 2006; 85(10): 1855 - 1863. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Li, C. F. Cuff, and J. Pestka Modulation of Murine Host Response to Enteric Reovirus Infection by the Trichothecene Deoxynivalenol Toxicol. Sci., September 1, 2005; 87(1): 134 - 145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Guard-Bouldin, R. K. Gast, T. J. Humphrey, D. J. Henzler, C. Morales, and K. Coles Subpopulation Characteristics of Egg-Contaminating Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis as Defined by the Lipopolysaccharide O Chain Appl. Envir. Microbiol., May 1, 2004; 70(5): 2756 - 2763. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. P. Oswald, C. Desautels, J. Laffitte, S. Fournout, S. Y. Peres, M. Odin, P. Le Bars, J. Le Bars, and J. M. Fairbrother Mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 Increases Intestinal Colonization by Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Pigs Appl. Envir. Microbiol., October 1, 2003; 69(10): 5870 - 5874. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]