Cell mediated immune responses in experimentally induced ochratoxicosis in broiler chickens

A study was conducted to determine the effect of oral feeding of ochratoxin A (OA) on cell mediated immune response in broiler chicks. For this, day-old chicks were divided into three groups (Groups A, B, and C). Chicks of group A vaccinated with Salmonella Gallinarum formalin killed vaccine @ 2x10⁶ cfu 0.4 ml⁻¹ showed consistently high levels of No_2⁻ up to 6 weeks post inoculation (PI); maximum concentration of 110.16 μ mol/10⁶ cells was observed at 3 weeks PI. Whereas, the mean concentration in OA fed and S. Gallinarum vaccinated chicks (group B) was found to be 78.33 and 67.45 μ mol/10⁶ cells at 3 and 6 weeks PI, respectively. Chicks in group C acted as adjuvanted control. Following challenge, the chicks of group A exhibited maximum NO_2⁻ concentration at 2 weeks post challenge. Immunosuppression due to OA might have led to lower levels of NO_2⁻ production in group B chicks as compared to group A chicks with maximum NO_2⁻ concentration of 78.33 μ mol/10⁶ cells at 3 weeks PI and 95.39 μ mol/10⁶ cells at 2 weeks post challenge. Based on the various findings it is observed that reduced NO_2⁻ production in the peripheral mononuclear cells is due to dietary ochratoxicosis in broiler chickens showing a reduction in cell mediated immune responses.