Assessment of Immune Response and Efficacy of Essential Oils Application on Controlling Necrotic Enteritis Induced by Clostridium perfringens in Broiler Chickens.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens is one of the most important enteric diseases in poultry. The antibacterial activity of two different essential oil (EO) blends against C. perfringens was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the immunological response to EO treatment was assessed. In the in vitro study, the antibacterial activity of EO formulas and commonly used antibiotics was evaluated against C. perfringens using disk diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay. In the in vivo study, NE experimental infection was performed on 440 Ross broiler chicks at 19 days of age for 4 continuous days. The chicks were treated with either EOs or amoxicillin at 22 days of age for 5 continuous days. One day after the end of treatment, the birds' performance was evaluated by calculating the feed conversion ratio. Serum samples from 120 birds were collected to measure the levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17. After that, all birds were slaughtered, and their small intestines were subjected to gross and histopathological evaluation. In addition, bacterial counts in the small intestines were evaluated. In the in vitro study, EOs showed higher antimicrobial activities in comparison with antibiotics against C. perfringens. In the in vivo study, birds treated with EOs showed a significant decrease in bacterial counts, a significant decrease in intestinal lesions, and a significant improvement in performance compared with untreated birds (p < 0.05). Moreover, treating birds with EOs directed the immune system toward an anti-inflammatory pathway. None of the treated birds died due to NE compared with the 10% mortality rate in untreated birds. In conclusion, EOs might be an effective and safe alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of chicken NE.

Sulfamethazine contamination level and exposure assessment in domestic and imported poultry meats in Jordan.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sulfamethazine (SMZ) is an important and widely used antibiotic in poultry industry due to its high efficacy in fighting diseases and promoting growth. In addition, SMZ is a possible human carcinogen and has been found in many food types including poultry meat. Accordingly, this study aimed to survey the contamination level and estimated daily intake (EDI) of SMZ in domestic and imported poultry meat samples in Jordan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 120 samples; 60, 30, and 30 of fresh and frozen domestic and frozen imported poultry samples, respectively, were collected from different cities in Jordan. Poultry samples were analyzed for SMZ incidence rate and contamination level using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. EDI values were calculated from the SMZ concentration, average poultry daily consumption rate, and adult body weight (b.w.). RESULTS: Of the 120 surveyed samples, 20 samples (16.7%) were SMZ violative positive and exceeded the European Union maximum limit (100 µg/kg) and accordingly were unfit for human consumption. Whereas, 51 samples (42.5%) were with SMZ concentrations of 10-100 µg/kg. The average SMZ concentration was 235.58 µg/kg, with a range of 11.47-800 µg/kg poultry meat. It is also noteworthy the high EDI of SMZ by Jordanian adults, 0.286 µg SMZ/kg b.w./day. Moreover, results prevailed that the highest SMZ incidence rate and contamination level were for imported poultry samples followed by domestic poultry samples, which may indicate that SMZ contamination in poultry meat is an international issue. CONCLUSION: The current study prevailed high SMZ incidence rate, contamination level, and EDI values, which is likely due to indiscriminate use of SMZ in poultry production. Results also prevailed the high risk that consumers in Jordan may expose due to SMZ residues. Therefore, more strict program and good agricultural practices should be applied to monitor antibiotic withdrawal periods in animals used for human consumption to ensure the legal residue requirements of these antibiotics.