EFFECT OF DIMETHYL DIPHENYL BICARBOXYLATE ( DDB ) ON BROILER CHICKENS DURING EXPERIMENTAL AFLATOXICOSIS

In vivo trial was conducted to test the efficacy of dimethyl diphenyl bicarboxylate (DDB), to reduce the deleterious effect of aflatoxins (AF) on broiler chickens from 14 to 42 days of age. A total of one hundred 14-d-old Hubbard broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups: control, AF, DDB, and AF plus DDB, of 25 chickens each. AF and DDB either alone or in combination were incorporated in the diet with concentrations of 2.75 and 30 mg/kg food, respectively. Chickens fed AF alone were adversely affected. The AF significantly decreased feed intake and body weight gain by 15.33% and 26.62%, respectively and increased feed conversion ratio by 15.76%, compared to control. Addition of DDB to an AF-containing diet significantly improved the previous performance traits. When compared to control, addition of DDB to AF-free diet improved feed conversion ratio by 7.88%. A significantly lower proportions of chickens were recorded as feeding, foraging and in comfort activities in AF-fed group. AF treatment significantly increased the percentages of chickens that were inactive (sleeping, standing, sitting) and those engaged in abnormal behaviour patterns (feather pecking). Comfort behaviour was found more often and chickens performed inactive and abnormal behaviour less frequently when DDB was added to AF-containing diet. Compared to control, addition of DDB to AF-free diet did not significantly alter the expression of behaviour patterns, except for decreased percentages of inactive behaviour. Moreover, frequency of feeding behaviour as well as time spent feeding were significantly lower in the focal animal samples in AF-fed chickens compared to control. AF treatment significantly decreased serum total protein and albumin and increased uric acid, creatinine, alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) concentrations. AF significantly decreased values of red blood cell counts, haemoglobin and increased values of white blood cell counts. The adverse effect of AF was significantly reduced by DDB. Compared to control, addition of DDB to AF-free diet did not significantly alter the biochemical and haematological characters. Feeding AF significantly increased relative weights of liver, kidney, heart and proventriculus while decreased relative weight of spleen. Moreover, histopathologic degenerative changes were observed in livers and kidneys of AF consuming chickens. Addition of DDB significantly decreased the severity of lesions in AF-fed group, while addition of DDB to AF-free diet did not produce any significant changes compared with control.The presence of AF alone in the diet significantly depressed the secondary immune response of chickens to Newcastle disease vaccine as measured by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. DDB was significantly effective in ameliorating the suppressive effect in AF treated group. Chickens receiving DDB showed no significant changes in antibody titers, compared to control. These results suggest that DDB addition was effective to ameliorate the detrimental effect of AF on broiler chickens.