Organ traits and histopathology of rabbits fed varied levels of dietary fumonisin B1

In a 196‐day feeding trial, 48 male crossbred rabbits (New Zealand × Chinchilla) were randomly assigned and fed varied dietary fumonisin levels of 0.13, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mg fumonisin B₁/kg diet constituting treatments 1 (control), 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Five animals were randomly selected, stunned and killed per treatment. Relative weight of various visceral organs examined except heart and adrenal gland were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments. Liver and spleen weights of rabbits fed 10.0 mg fumonisin per kg were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those fed control diet and diet 2. Kidney and testes weights were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in rabbits fed control diet and increased with increase in the dietary fumonisin levels. Histological examination of the organs revealed that rabbits fed diets 2, 3 and 4 showed increased severe lesion of approximately 20%, 40% and 60%, respectively, of the total slides examined for each treatment. Forty per cent and 80% of the rabbits fed diets containing 7.5 and 10.0 mg/kg fumonisin, respectively, showed severe necrosis whereas 40%, 60% and 20% of the rabbits fed 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mg/kg, respectively, showed mild–moderate liver necrosis/lesions as compared with non‐significant lesion observed in the controls. Testicles of rabbits fed diets 3 and 4 showed mild–moderate lesions and sertoli cell degeneration. Tunica mucosa erosion was observed and predominant in the stomach and small intestine of rabbits fed 7.5 and 10.0 mg fumonisin per kg diet. This suggested that fumonisin B₁ above 5.0 mg/kg in rabbit diet is toxic to body organs with potential to induce their hypofunction or total damage.