EN
The objective of the study was to determine the responses of Nili-Ravi buffalo to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in terms of feed intake, haematological and serum biochemical parameters and to compare the efficacy of three different toxin adsorbents against AFB1. Twenty-five Nili-Ravi buffaloes were selected from a herd and were divided into five groups for a period of 21 days to receive: no aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in the diet, a diet contaminated with AFB1, a diet contaminated with AFB1 with the addition of one of three different toxin adsorbents: glucomannan, hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), or activated charcoal at an inclusion level of 0.2% of feed. AFB1 was incorporated into feed at an inclusion level of 500 µg · kg–1 per animal per day. The results indicate that the average daily feed intake of AFB1-treated buffaloes significantly declined (P < 0.05) compared with the control. Serum levels of total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatinine were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in response to AFB1, but the change in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels was nonsignificant (P > 0.05). In haematology, the total erythrocyte count (TEC), total leukocyte count (TLC), haemoglobin concentration (HGB), haematocrit levels (HCT), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the AFB1 group on days 14 and 21 of the experiment. From among the three toxin adsorbents, 0.2% glucomannan significantly (P < 0.05) improved the feed intake levels of buffaloes and also significantly (P < 0.05) minimized the AFB1-induced adverse effects on haematology and serum biochemistry, but was unable to totally ameliorate its effect, while HSCAS was less effective, and activated charcoal, the least.