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The aim of the study was to determine whether the addition of vegetable biocholine (VB) in laying hens feed minimises the effects of daily intake of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). We allocated Hy-line Brown line laying hens into four groups with four replications/group and four birds/repetition. The treatments were as follows: Afla0Bio0: basal feed without aflatoxin and VB (natural contamination: 0.026 mg AFB1/kg), Afla0Bio800, basal feed supplementation of 800 mg VB/kg (natural contamination: 0.024 mg AFB1/kg); Afla2.5Bio0, basal feed contaminated experimentally with aflatoxin (2.51 mg/kg); Afla2.5Bio800, basal feed contaminated with aflatoxin (2.50 mg/kg) and supplemented with 800 mg VB/kg. The experiment took place over a period of 42 days, divided into two cycles of 21 days each. Significance was indicated by P≤0.05. The inclusion of aflatoxin reduced egg production after 42 days of consumption of contaminated feed. VB supplementation in the tested dose was insufficient to minimise the negative effects of the toxin on the laying rate. There was a lower percentage of yolk in Afla2Bio0 than in Afla0Bio0, and a higher percentage of albumen and specific gravity in Afla2.5Bio0 than in Afla0Bio0. Ingestion of aflatoxin in the feed increased lipoperoxidation (LPO) and decreased antioxidant capacity in the egg yolk; however, when VB was added, LPO was similar to the control. Lower total bacterial count (TBC) in the eggshell was observed when the birds consumed VB, as well as higher TBC in the eggshell of the birds was challenged with aflatoxin. In the blood of birds that consumed aflatoxin (Afla2.5Bio0) there was an increase in the activity of alkaline phosphatase and a reduction in the activities of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In the birds that consumed VB without aflatoxin challenge, we observed that there was a stimulation of GPx activity. We conclude that the consumption of VB had positive effects on the health of the laying hens and improved the quality of the eggs.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the aqueous extract of green propolis in vitro against mastitis-causing and in vivo bacteria, evaluating the efficacy of treatment in Lacaune sheep. In the in vitro test, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was used; first, the MIC was obtained from the aqueous extract of green propolis for the strain of Staphylococcus. aureus ATCC 25523, defined as 1 mg/ml. For bacterial agents isolated from sheep with mastitis (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus intermedius, Staphylococcus hyicus, Corynebacterium spp. and Acinetobacter spp.), The concentration of 10 mg/ml was determined, while for Streptococcus equinus, Escherichia coli, and hemolytic E. coli, also isolated from sheep with mastitis, the concentration capable of reducing bacterial growth was 100 mg/ml. In the in vivo test, ten sheep were used, distributed in two treatments, five in the control group (CG) that received 2.5 ml of saline (vehicle), and five in the treated group (GT) that received 2.5 ml of aqueous (saline) propolis extract by the mammary route. The propolis dose tested (0.1 g/ml) was not effective for the treatment of mastitis, because the sheep remained positive in the racket test (CMT). The main microorganism isolated in the cases of mastitis in this study was Staphylococcus epidermidis. These results are preliminary; however, at the tested dose, the aqueous extract of green propolis delivered by the mammary route had no curative effect of mastitis.