Impact of aflatoxicosis on mortality and production performance during peak lay in commercial layer chicken

Aflatoxicosis is a pathological condition in poultry caused by highly toxic secondary metabolites of the fungus Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Oil cakes and feed grains are the main sources of aflatoxicosis. Aflatoxin contamination in feed materials typically results from inappropriate harvesting, drying, and storing practices. This paper describes the impact of aflatoxicosis on production performance during the peak laying period in a commercial layer farm. Eleven dead commercial layer birds of 30 weeks of age from a commercial layer farm in the Namakkal region of Tamil Nadu were examined to diagnose the cause of death. General feed intake in the flock was reduced, and the birds appeared weak and emaciated with ruffled feathers. The affected flock was characterized by drop in egg production from 94% to 88.7 % (up to 5.3%) and daily occurrence of a few (1-5 numbers) emaciated/weak birds with leg weakness. Post-mortem examination revealed a pale, friable, enlarged liver with fatty changes accompanied by congestion, yellow discoloration, and mild hemorrhage. Petechial hemorrhages were noticed in the gall bladder, on the pericardium, heart, and on the pancreas. The kidney was found to be slightly enlarged. The histopathology revealed degeneration of various internal organs. Analysis of feed samples from the affected farm for mycotoxins revealed the presence of aflatoxin B1 at a level of 117 µg/kg, confirming the contamination of the aflatoxin in contaminated feedstuffs, which resulted in a drop in egg production and mortality during peak lay along with production drops.