Effect of Aflatoxin B1 on farmed Cyprinus carpio in conjunction with bacterial infection

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is an immunosuppressive plant-origin toxin that reduces disease resistance of fish. A total number of 360 fries of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio(0.50 g/fish b.w.) were subdivided into 6 groups (G1-G6). Fish were fed on an AFB1-contaminated diet at a dose of 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg fish feed in G2 and G3, respectively. AFB1-contaminated diet plus nucleotides (NT) supplementation (at 0.2% instead of normal corn) were G5 and G6, respectively. Fish in G1 were fed on a diet free from AFB1 and NT while in G4, fish were fed on a diet free from AFB1 and supplemented with NT. Growth performance and liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP) were adversely impacted by feeding on a contaminated diet and NT supplementation could ameliorate such withdraws. Anti-inflammatory IL-10 was increased in groups fed on contaminated diet indicating that inflammation had taken place. Feeding on AFB1-contaminated diets resulted in degenerative changes (hepatic and spleen tissues), NT-supplementation could relieve such changes (low dose of AFB1) however impacts of the high dose of AFB1 were severe to a degree that NT-supplementation could not effectively diminish it. Regardless of feeding on the contaminated diet, C. carpio supplemented with NT could resist Aeromonas hydrophila infection even those fed on contaminated diets, while un-supplemented groups showed higher mortality rates. A. hydrophila could isolate even after 35 days of experimental infection in C. carpio fed on AFB1-contaminated diet (G2 and G3). It concluded that NT supplementation could ameliorate the adverse health impacts associated with feeding diet contaminated with AFB1 in C. carpio.