Combination of Lactobacillus species and yeast ameliorates adverse effect of deoxynivalenol contaminated diet on immune system, gut morphology and jejunal gene expression in broiler chickens

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different levels of Lactobacillus species and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a toxin binder in deoxynivalenol (DON) diet on immune parameters, gut morphology and jejunal gene expression in broiler chickens. Three hundred sixty-one-day-old female broilers were assigned into nine treatments with four replicates each in a completely randomised design (3 × 3 factorial arrangement) including three levels of Lactobacillus (0, 0.20 and 0.40 g/kg) and yeast (0, 0.75 and 1.50 g/kg) in DON contaminated diets. The results showed that DON challenged birds showed suppressed spleen relative weight and reduced white blood cell and lymphocyte percentage, while inclusion the highest level of Lactobacillus sp. and yeast to DON diet improved these parameters (p