Nutritional interventions to support broiler chickens during Eimeria infection

Potential of guar gum as a leaky gut model in broilers: Digestibility, performance, and microbiota responses

Diet is a major modulator of animal resilience and its three pillars: host's immune response, gut microbiota, and intestinal barrier. In the present study, we endeavour to delineate a challenging condition aimed to degrade these pillars and elucidate its impact on broiler performance and nutrient digestibility. To attain this objective, we opted to use guar gum (GG) as a source of galactomannan. A series of three in vivo experiments were conducted employing conventional or semi-purified diets, supplemented with or without GG during the grower phase (14-28 d). Our findings demonstrate a substantial decline in animal performance metrics such as body weight (reduced by 29%, P < 0.001), feed intake (decreased by 12%, P < 0.001), and feed conversion ratio (up to 58% increase, P < 0.001) in the presence of GG at 2%. The supplementation of a semi-purified diet with incremental doses of GG resulted in a linear reduction (P < 0.001) in the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and apparent metabolisable energy. Additionally, a marked reduction in ileal endogenous losses, as well as apparent and standardised digestibility of all amino acids with varying proportions (P < 0.05), was observed. These alterations were accompanied by disrupted gut integrity assessed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d) (P < 0.001) as well as an inflammatory status characterised by elevated levels of acute-phase proteins, namely orosomucoid and serum amyloid A in the sera (P = 0.03), and increased mRNA expression levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, Inos, and K203 genes in the ileum, along with a decrease in IgA levels in the gut lumen (P < 0.05). Microbial ecology and activity were characterised by reduced diversity and richness (Shannon index, P = 0.005) in the presence of GG. Consequently, our results revealed diminished levels of short-chain fatty acids (P = 0.01) and their producer genera, such as Clostridium_XIVa and Blautia, in the gut caeca, coupled with excessive accumulation of lactate (17-fold increase, P < 0.01) in the presence of GG at 2%. In addition to providing a more comprehensive characterisation of the GG supplementation as a leaky gut model, our results substantiate a thorough understanding of the intricate adjustments and interplay between the intestinal barrier, immune response, and microbiota. Furthermore, they underscore the significance of feed components in modulating these dynamics.

Curcumin Mitigates Oxidative Damage in Broiler Liver and Ileum Caused by Aflatoxin B1-Contaminated Feed through Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

This experiment aimed to investigate the mitigating effect of CUR on the growth performance and liver and intestinal health of broilers fed AFB1-contaminated diets. In this study, 320 one-day-old healthy male Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly divided into four groups, including the Control group (fed the basal diet), the AFB1 group (fed the AFB1-contaminated diet containing 1 mg/kg AFB1), the AFB1+CUR group (fed the AFB1-contaminated diet with 500 mg/kg CUR), and the CUR group (fed the basal diet containing 500 mg/kg CUR), with eight replicates of ten animals per group and a 28 d experimental period. In terms of the growth performance, the addition of 500 mg/kg CUR significantly improved AFB1-induced significant reductions in the final body weight on day 28 and mean daily gain (p < 0.05) and increased the ratio of the mean daily feed intake to mean daily weight gain in broilers (p < 0.05). In terms of liver health, significant improvements in liver histological lesions occurred in broilers in the AFB1+CUR group compared to the AFB1 group, with significantly higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activities (p < 0.05) and significantly higher levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap-1), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1) gene expression (p < 0.05). In terms of intestinal health, CUR addition significantly increased the relative length of ileum (p < 0.05), significantly elevated the height of ileal villi (p < 0.05), significantly reduced D-Lactate (D-LA) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities in broiler serum (p < 0.05), significantly increased GSH, CAT, and T-SOD activities in ileal tissues (p < 0.05), and significantly elevated the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO-1 genes (p < 0.05) compared to the AFB1 group. In conclusion, CUR showed a protective effect against damage to the liver and intestine caused by AFB1 in broilers through the Nrf2 signaling pathway, thereby improving the growth performance of broilers exposed to AFB1.

Management and control of coccidiosis in poultry - A review

Poultry coccidiosis is an intestinal infection caused by an intracellular parasitic protozoan of the genus Eimeria. Coccidia-induced gastrointestinal inflammation results in large economic losses, hence finding methods to decrease its prevalence is critical for industry participants and academic researchers. It has been demonstrated that coccidiosis can be effectively controlled and managed by employing anticoccidial chemical compounds. However, as a result of their extensive use, anticoccidial drug resistance in Eimeria species has raised concerns. Phytochemical/herbal medicines (Artemisia annua, Bidens pilosa, and garlic) seem to be a promising strategy for preventing coccidiosis, in accordance with the "anticoccidial chemical-free" standards. The impact of herbal supplements on poultry coccidiosis is based on the reduction of oocyst output by preventing the proliferation and growth of Eimeria species in chicken gastrointestinal tissues and lowering intestinal permeability via increased epithelial turnover. This review provides a thorough up-to-date assessment of the state of the art and technologies in the prevention and treatment of coccidiosis in chickens, including the most used phytochemical medications, their mode of action, and the applicable legal framework in the European Union.

Current State of Milk, Dairy Products, Meat and Meat Products, Eggs, Fish and Fishery Products Authentication and Chemometrics

Food fraud is a matter of major concern as many foods and beverages do not follow their labelling. Because of economic interests, as well as consumers' health protection, the related topics, food adulteration, counterfeiting, substitution and inaccurate labelling, have become top issues and priorities in food safety and quality. In addition, globalized and complex food supply chains have increased rapidly and contribute to a growing problem affecting local, regional and global food systems. Animal origin food products such as milk, dairy products, meat and meat products, eggs and fish and fishery products are included in the most commonly adulterated food items. In order to prevent unfair competition and protect the rights of consumers, it is vital to detect any kind of adulteration to them. Geographical origin, production methods and farming systems, species identification, processing treatments and the detection of adulterants are among the important authenticity problems for these foods. The existence of accurate and automated analytical techniques in combination with available chemometric tools provides reliable information about adulteration and fraud. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to present the advances made through recent studies in terms of the analytical techniques and chemometric approaches that have been developed to address the authenticity issues in animal origin food products.

The effects of arginine and branched-chain amino acid supplementation to reduced-protein diet on intestinal health, cecal short-chain fatty acid profiles, and immune response in broiler chickens challenged with Eimeria spp

We investigated the effects of supplementing arginine (Arg) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) in broilers fed reduced-protein diets and challenged with Eimeria spp. All birds were fed the same starter diet meeting Cobb 500 nutrient specifications from d 1 to 9. Four grower diets: positive control (PC) with 20.0% crude protein (CP); reduced-protein negative control (NC) with 17.5% CP; or NC supplemented with Arg or BCAA at 50% above recommendations (ARG or BCAA) were fed to the birds from d 9 to 28. Birds were allocated in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement (4 diets, each with or without challenge), with 8 replicates per treatment. On d 14, the challenge groups were orally gavaged with mixed Eimeria spp. Intestinal permeability was higher (P < 0.05) in NC than PC, whereas the permeability of ARG and BCAA groups did not differ significantly from PC. On d 28, a significant interaction (P < 0.01) was observed in CD8⁺: CD4⁺ ratios in cecal tonsils (CT), Eimeria challenge increased the ratios in all groups except for the ARG group. On d 21, a significant interaction was found for CD4⁺CD25⁺ percentages in CT (P < 0.01) that Eimeria challenge increased the percentages only in PC and NC groups. On d 21 and 28, significant interactions (P < 0.01) were found for macrophage nitric oxide (NO) production. In nonchallenged birds, NO was higher in the ARG group than other groups, but in challenged birds, NO was higher in both ARG and BCAA groups. On d 21, a significant interaction was found for bile anticoccidial IgA concentrations (P < 0.05) that Eimeria challenge increased IgA only in NC and ARG groups. The results suggest that a reduced-protein diet exacerbates the impact of the Eimeria challenge on intestinal integrity, but this could be mitigated by Arg and BCAA supplementations. Arginine and BCAA supplementations in reduced-protein diets could be beneficial for broilers against Eimeria infection by enhancing the immune responses. The beneficial effects of Arg supplementation tended to be more pronounced compared to BCAA supplementation.

Effects of hatching system on chick quality, welfare and health of young breeder flock offspring

Alternative hatching systems have been developed for broiler chickens to provide immediately feed and water after hatch and reduce the number or severity of early life stressors. Besides beneficial effects of these alternative hatching systems on chick quality and performance, broiler health and welfare may be positively affected as well. Especially offspring from young broiler breeder flocks may benefit, as they have been shown to be more sensitive to preturbations than offspring from older breeder flocks. This study evaluated effects of hatching systems on chick quality, health and welfare of young breeder flock offspring, using 3 different hatching systems: conventional hatchery-hatched (HH), hatchery-fed (HF), and on-farm hatching (OH). A total of 24 pens were used in a completely randomized block design, with 8 pens per hatching system and 30 chickens per pen. Chick quality at hatch and performance until 35 d of age was improved in the HF and OH compared to HH treatment, but only minor effects were found on the welfare indicators: footpad dermatitis, hock burn, cleanliness, skin lesion and gait score. No effect was observed on the dynamics of a humoral immune response after NCD vaccination, given at d 0 and 14 of age, as no differences between NCD titers were found at d 18. Animals were vaccinated with a live attenuated infectious bronchitis vaccine virus (IBV) at d 28 to address treatment related differences to disease resilience. The expressions of inflammation and epithelial integrity related genes in the trachea and histo-pathological changes in the trachea were examined at 3 d after vaccine administration. No differences between treatment groups were observed. Although beneficial effects of HF and OH systems were found for young breeder flock offspring on chick quality at hatch and body weight posthatch, only one effect of alternative hatching systems on welfare and health indicators were found. No effect of hatching system on humoral immune response or disease resilience was found.