PATHOLOGICAL-STUDIES IN BROILER CHICKS FED AFLATOXIN OR OCHRATOXIN AND INOCULATED WITH INCLUSION-BODY HEPATITIS-VIRUS SINGLY AND IN CONCURRENCE

Day-old broiler chicks found negative for maternal antibodies against inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) virus by agar gel precipitation test an d viral antigen in cloacal swabs by dot enzyme immunoassay were divide d into 6 groups of 20 chicks each. Group A was fed aflatoxin B at 1.25 ppm from 3 to 38 days of age; group O was fed ochratoxin A at 0.5 ppm from 3 to 38 days of age; group V was inoculated with 1 ml of IBH vir us of titre log(10) 6.5 EID(50) per 0.2 ml. Groups AV and OV were give n aflatoxin B-1 and ochratoxin A, respectively, and also infected with the virus. Group C served as 1 control. There was mild enlargement an d paleness of the liver up to 18 days post inoculation in group V; the re were no lesions in group A; and there was gradual enlargement of th e kidneys from 10 days post feeding of mycotoxin onwards in group O. I n the combined groups AV and OV the gross lesions were slightly more s evere. In group V, varying degrees of degenerative histopathological c hanges, congestion and haemorrhages were seen particularly in the live r, followed by the kidneys, bursa, spleen, myocardium and lungs, along with intranuclear inclusion bodies in the hepatocytes, mostly in the early stages of infection. Similar microscopic changes, but without in clusion bodies, were seen in groups A and O and the changes were prono unced in the later stages. In group O, the kidney lesions were more pr onounced than the liver lesions. In the concurrently infected groups, AV and OV, the changes were similar but slightly more marked than in t he corresponding individual groups. Inclusion bodies in hepatocytes we re more frequent, more prominent and appeared earlier in the concurren t groups.