Comparative study on the characterization of antisera of anti-aflatoxin B1 from rabbit and laying hen

Polyclonal antisera specific for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) were developed in rabbits and laying hens immunized with AFB1 conjugated to bovine serum albumin (AFB1-BSA). During the immunization schedule, AFB1-specific antisera from rabbits started to obviously be secreted after 60 days of the first AFB1-BSA injection, reached to a peak at day 120, and started to go down at day 135; while in regard to laying hens, antibodies began to largely be produced at day 90, arrived to a peak at day 135, and began to go down at day 165. The rabbits consistently produced anti-AFB1 antisera in 2-fold higher amounts than the laying hens during the antisera production process. But rabbits' and laying hens' antisera to AFB1 were found not to be apparently different in cross-reaction with aflatoxin analogs. Both rabbits' and laying hens' antisera could be used as immunological reagents for detecting AFB1 in agricultural commodities.