Effect of Mycotoxins Produced by Fusarium moniliforme and Aspergillus flavus Associated with Wheat Grains Cultivated in the Al-Muthanna Desert and Used as Poultry Feed

Fungi such as Fusarium moniliform and Aspergillus flavus are known to cause plant diseases through a variety of mechanisms, such as competing with plants for food or blocking the plant's vessels, preventing water and nutrients from reaching the plant and secreting a number of toxins that negatively affect animals that feed on the infected plants.

This study was conducted in the poultry farms of the College of Agriculture, University of Al-Muthanna, during the 2024- 2025 season to evaluate the effect of mycotoxin- contaminated diet on some immune and productive symptoms of Ross 308 broiler chickens at 20 days of age. Birds were divided into four groups, which included 10 birds in each group. Birds were divided as follows: (T1) A natural, food-free diet; (T2) a diet contaminated with Fusarium moniliform; (T3) a diet contaminated with A. flavus and (T4) a diet contaminated by both F. moniliform and A. flaves.

The results demonstrated that mycotoxin affected the immune parameters significantly, causing reducing their resistance to infectious bronchitis (IB), Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and heterofil-to-lymphocyte (H/L). The most pronounced effect was seen in treatment (T3) and (T4) (2103.80 and 1253.30) and (4557.20 and 790.90), respectively. In addition, a decline in concentrations of alpha, beta and gamma globulin, as well as minor changes in the weight of internal organs such as the heart, liver, gizzard and abdominal fat.