Immunological status of White Leghorn chicks hatched from eggs inoculated with ochratoxin A (OTA)

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the immunological status of chicks hatched from the ochratoxin A (OTA)-contaminated eggs. For this purpose, 900 fertile White Leghorn (WL) layer breeder eggs were divided into eight groups (A-H). Group A was maintained as untreated control, whereas Group B was kept as sham control (10 µL of 0.1 M NaHCO₃). Groups C, D, E, F, G, and H were injected with 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50, and 1.00 µg OTA/egg, respectively. Eggs were incubated at 37.5 °C and 65% relative humidity. Hatched chicks from each group were then maintained separately under standard environmental conditions. At Day 18-of-age, chicks (n = 10) from each group were used for lymphoblastogenic response against an intradermal administration of phytohemagglutinin P (PHA-P). At Day 30-of-age, abdominal macrophages, collected from 15 chicks in each group, were utilized for determination of phagocytic potential using sheep red blood cells (SRBC) as particulate antigen and for nitrite production in response to lipopolysaccharide. Antibody (Ab) titers (i.e. total antibodies, IgG, and IgM) against SRBC were determined at 7 and 14 days after primary (at Day 13-of-age) and booster (given 14 days after primary) intravenously administered SRBC doses. The lymphoblastogenic responses of the chicks hatched from OTA-contaminated eggs in response to PHA-P administration were significantly lower at 24, 48, and 72 h after PHA-P injection when compared with responses by control chicks. The percentage of abdominal macrophages displaying phagocytosis of SRBC, the number of SRBC/macrophage, and nitrite production were each significantly lower in cells from chicks in the OTA-administered groups. Total Ab, IgG, and IgM titers against SRBC showed significant reductions in the groups that had been hatched from eggs injected with the higher doses of OTA (as compared with titers associated with chicks in control eggs). These findings suggested that there are substantive immunosuppressive risks in chicks that could be exposed to OTA in ovo.

Amelioration of Ochratoxin A-induced immunotoxic effects by silymarin and vitamin E in White Leghorn cockerels

“…Similar delayed CMI responses to avian tuberculosis have been reported in turkeys fed OTA (Dwivedi and Burns, 1985). A significant decreased in T-cell response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-P was noted in chicks produced from the eggs of OTA-fed hens (ul-Hassan et al, 2011a) and in chicks hatched from OTAinjected eggs (ul-Hassan et al, 2011b). Several other reports have presented results similar to those here by using PHA-P instead of avian tuberculin during ochratoxicosis (Elkady, 1993;Santin et al, 2002;Stoev et al, 2002;Verma et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2009).…”

Immunological status of the progeny of breeder hens kept on ochratoxin A (OTA)- and aflatoxin B1(AFB1)-contaminated feeds

“…This proposition is supported by the reduced production of reactive oxygen intermediates (such as NO) by macrophages harvested from chicks obtained from OTA-and/or AFB 1 -fed hens. In our previous studies, similar decreases in macrophage functions were noted in progeny of hens maintained on OTA-contaminated diets (ul-Hassan et al, 2011a) and in chicks hatched from eggs injected with OTA (ul-Hassan et al, 2011b). Qureshi et al (1998) reported a similar decrease in phagocytic functions and nitrite production by peritoneal macrophages from chicks obtained from hens fed an AFB 1 -contaminated (10 mg/Kg) diet.…”

“…In recent OTA feeding studies (ul-Hassan et al, 2011a), we confirmed the presence of OTA residues in the eggs of hens maintained on OTA-contaminated diets, and subsequent compromised cellular and humoral immune responses in the hatched chicks. In another study (ul-Hassan et al, 2011b), a similar immunosuppression was noted in the chicks hatched from eggs that had been directly inoculated with OTA.…”