Implementation of mycotoxin binders to enhance immune response and large intestine histopathology against Newcastle disease in vaccinated broiler chickens fed naturally contaminated diet with mixed mycotoxins [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

Background In broiler farming, vaccination against Newcastle disease (ND) is essential. Nonetheless, during the post-vaccination phase, production may be negatively impacted by mycotoxin contamination in feed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of toxin binders on antibody titer and large intestine histopathology after ND vaccination in broiler with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) toxication. Methods A total of 20 broilers were randomly assigned into 4 groups with 5 replications i.e. (C-) broiler groups with basal feed, (C+) broiler groups with AFB1 and OTA feed contamination, (T1) and (T2) broiler groups with exposed AFB1, OTA, and toxin binders as feed additives with dose 1.1 g/kg and 1.6 g/kg feed, respectively. ND vaccination was carried out on day 7 and 21. Antibody titers were evaluated from serum samples of broiler on days 14, 28, and 35 for further hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. Histopathology of the cecum and colon organs was evaluated using HE staining on day 36. HI test and histological scoring were analyzed using the One-Way ANOVA, followed by Duncan's test with a p < 0.05 in SPSS v.26 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results As a result, histopathological improvement of the cecum and colon was reported based on mucosal rupture, hemorrhage and necrosis on day 35. An increase in the mean antibody titer compared to days 14 and 28 was observed on day 35, with significant changes observed in serum samples based on the C+ group, which was significantly different from the C- and T2 groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions This study revealed that toxin binder dose of 1.6 g/kg can increase antibody titer and histopathology of cecum and colon in broiler chickens after ND vaccination fed with mycotoxin-contaminated feed.