Clinical, Biochemical and Histopathlogical Alteration in Broiler Chickens Experimentally Infected with H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus During Aflatoxicosis.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the adverse effects of an interaction between low dietary aflatoxins and H9N2 infection in broiler chickens. They were infected with H9N2 AI virus at the 23 days of age at dose of 106 EID50/100 ul/bird and /or fed on diet containing 200ppb aflatoxin with a group kept as a non-treated noninfected negative control. Aflatoxins treated groups exhibit significant lower body weight gain (average530g) than the control group (average 1850g). The clinical signs of H9N2 were more pronounced in the group which received aflatoxin and infected with H9N2 than the group infected with H9N2 alone. Also there was significant increase in serum (AST and ALT) liver enzymes in chickens in this group. Histopathological examination regarding aflatoxins treated groups there was hepatomegaly, hydropic degeneration, hepatocytic vacuolation and necrosis in liver with nephrosis and ureates deposition in kidney. The lesions in trachea and lung in the H9N2 infected groups were more sever in the group receive aflatoxins and infected with H9N2 virus than group infected with H9N2 alone. Thus the aflatoxins severely affect the performance traits in broiler and when combined with H9N2 virus increase the mortalities from 0 in nonaflatoxicated groups to 20% in aflatoxicated groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]