Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus), a common feed contaminant particularly ubiquitous in conserved feeds, poses a potential health risk of intestinal health in broilers. The aim of this work was to assess the effects of dietary supplementation with β-glucan (BG) and mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) on broiler chickens’ production and health, especially under the challenge of naturally feed-borne A. fumigatus.  The study includes one control group fed with regular feed and two supplement-treated groups fed with BG and MOS. The results showed broilers in treatment groups had lower mortality rate and higher antibody titers of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), compared with control group. The immunological analysis found that, when broiler chickens were challenged with A. fumigatus, spleen and thymus indices were markedly improved, the cytokine concentrations in serum were increased, and the activities of heterophils and lymphocytes were up-regulated when the feed was supplemented with BG and MOS.  These data suggest this dietary supplement not only overcomes the negative effect of A. fumigatus, but also improves the production and heath of broiler chickens by up-regulating the immune function in broiler chickens.

Key words: Aspergillus fumigatus, Broilers, Heterophils, Immunomodulatory, β-glucan, mannan-oligosaccharides