Hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (
HSCAS), an anticaking agent for mixed feed, was added to the diets of growing wethers (mean
body weight, 34.0 kg) and was evaluated for its ability to diminish the clinical signs of
aflatoxicosis. The experimental design consisted of 4 treatment groups of 5 wethers each, consuming concentrations of 0 g of
HSCAS and 0 g of
aflatoxin (AF)/kg of feed (control; group 1); 20 g of
HSCAS/kg (2.0%; group 2), 2.6 mg of AF/kg (group 3); or 20 g of
HSCAS (2.0%) plus 2.6 mg of AF/kg (group 4). Wethers were maintained in indoor pens, with feed and water available ad libitum for 42 days. Lambs were observed twice daily and weighed weekly, and blood samples were obtained every 2 weeks for hematologic and serum biochemical analyses and for measurement of
mitogen-induced lymphocyte-stimulation index. At the termination of the study, wethers were euthanatized and necropsied.
Body weight gain was diminished significantly (P less than 0.05) by consumption of 2.6 mg of AF/kg of feed, whereas
body weight of lambs consuming
HSCAS plus AF did not differ from that of control wethers. The AF-alone treatment increased serum
aspartate transaminase and
gamma-glutamyltransferase activities, prothrombin time, and
cholesterol,
uric acid, and
triglyceride values and decreased
albumin,
glucose, and
urea nitrogen values, and
urea-to-
creatine ratio.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)