Histopathological changes in the kidneys of Japanese quail associated with fumonisin B1 and ochratoxin A in feed

Abstract

This study describes the toxic interaction of fumonisin B1 (FB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA), alone and in combination for histopathological changes of the kidneys in day-old Japanese quail. Quail chicks were divided into four groups and fed with basal quail chick mash containing FB1 at 200 ppm (group FX), OTA at 2 ppm (group OX), and FB1 at 200 ppm+OTA at 2 ppm (group FO) and standard toxin- free feed (group CX, control) for 28 days. Results of the present study showed that feeding of diets amended with 200 ppm FB1 and 2 ppm OTA led to mild to moderate swelling of the kidneys in a few birds fed FB1. However, swelling in the kidneys of the group fed OTA alone revealed mild to severe swelling with occasional dilatation of the ureters. The kidneys revealed swelling of tubular epithelial cells, presence of eosinophilic proteinaceous material in tubular lumen, and tubular epithelial cells in FB1 fed group, while mainly, swelling of proximal convoluted tubule epi- thelial cells with indentation of nuclear membranes was a conspicuous finding noticed in OTA and combination treat- ment groups.