Assessment of the Impact of Humic Acids on Intestinal Microbiota, Gut Integrity, Ileum Morphometry, and Cellular Immunity of Turkey Poults Fed an Aflatoxin B1-Contaminated Diet.

A recent study published data on the growth performance, relative weights of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, liver histology, serum biochemistry, and hematological parameters for turkey poults fed an experimental diet contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and humic acids (HA) extracted from vermicompost. The negative effects of AFB1 (250 ng AFB1/g of feed) were significantly reduced by HA supplementation (0.25% w/w), suggesting that HA might be utilized to ameliorate the negative impact of AFB1 from contaminated diets. The present study shows the results of the remaining variables, as an extension of a previously published work which aimed to evaluate the impact of HA on the intestinal microbiota, gut integrity, ileum morphometry, and cellular immunity of turkey poults fed an AFB1-contaminated diet. For this objective, five equal groups of 1-day-old female Nicholas-700 turkey poults were randomly assigned to the following treatments: negative control (basal diet), positive control (basal diet + 250 ng AFB1/g), HA (basal diet + 0.25% HA), HA + AFB1 (basal diet + 0.25% HA + 250 ng AFB1/g), and Zeolite (basal diet + 0.25% zeolite + 250 ng AFB1/g). In the experiment, seven replicates of ten poults each were used per treatment (n = 70). In general, HA supplementation with or without the presence of AFB1 showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the number of beneficial butyric acid producers, ileum villi height, and ileum total area, and a significant reduction in serum levels of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d), a marker of intestinal integrity. In contrast, poults fed with AFB1 showed a significant increase in Proteobacteria and lower numbers of beneficial bacteria, clearly suggesting gut dysbacteriosis. Moreover, poults supplemented with AFB1 displayed the lowest morphometric parameters and the highest intestinal permeability. Furthermore, poults in the negative and positive control treatments had the lowest cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity response. These findings suggest that HA supplementation enhanced intestinal integrity (shape and permeability), cellular immune response, and healthier gut microbiota composition, even in the presence of dietary exposure to AFB1. These results complement those of the previously published study, suggesting that HA may be a viable dietary intervention to improve gut health and immunity in turkey poults during aflatoxicosis.

Evaluation of Three Formulations of Essential Oils in Broiler Chickens under Cyclic Heat Stress.

The objective of the present research was to assess the dietary supplementation of three formulations of essential oils (EO) in chickens under heat stress (HS). Day-of-hatch Cobb 500 chicks (n = 500) were randomly distributed into four groups: 1. HS control + control diets; 2. HS + control diets supplemented with 37 ppm EO of Lippia origanoides (LO); 3. HS + control diets supplemented with 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm EO of Rosmarinus officinalis (RO) + 300 ppm red beetroot; 4. HS + 45 ppm LO + 45 ppm RO + 300 ppm natural betaine. Chickens that received the EO showed significant (p < 0.05) improvement on BW, BWG, FI, and FCR compared to control HS chickens. Average body core temperature in group 3 and group 4 was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced compared with the HS control group and group 2. Experimental groups showed a significant reduction in FITC-d at 42 days, a significant increase in SOD at both days but a significant reduction of IFN-γ and IgA compared with HS control (p < 0.05). Bone mineralization was significantly improved by EO treatments (p < 0.05). Together these data suggest that supplemental dietary EO may reduce the harmful effects of HS.

Impact of Trace Minerals on Wound Healing of Footpad Dermatitis in Broilers.

Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is used in the poultry industry as an animal welfare criterion to determine stocking density. Trace minerals (TM) play a role in skin integrity and wound healing. This study evaluated the impact of TM on FPD and consisted of 3 treatments supplemented with 0 (NTM), low (LTM) and high (HTM) TM levels in the same basal diet. On d21, 71% birds in all treatments developed mild FPD and pens were top-dressed with dry litter to promote FPD healing. Compared to NTM, LTM reduced area under the curve (AUC) of FPD lesion scores during d21-42, HTM reduced the AUC of FPD lesion scores during d7-21 and d21-42. LTM improved growth performance on d14, HTM improved growth performance on d14 and d28. LTM and/or HTM increased gene expression of VEGF, TIMP3, TIMP4, MMP13, ITGA2, ITGA3 and CD40, which promoted collagen synthesis, deposition and organization; cell migration, matrix remodeling, and angiogenesis. LTM and/or HTM increased inflammation by upregulating TNFα and IL-1ß during the early wound healing phase and reduced inflammation by downregulating IL-1ß during the late wound healing phase. Our findings showed that TM not only improved growth performance but also reduced FPD development by promoting FPD wound healing.

Recombinant Hemagglutinin of Avian Influenza Virus H5 Expressed in the Chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Evaluation of Its Immunogenicity in Chickens.

Globally, avian influenza (AI) is a serious problem in poultry farming. Despite vaccination, the prevalence of AI in México highlights the need for new approaches to control AI and to reduce the economic losses associated with its occurrence in susceptible birds. Recombinant proteins from avian influenza virus (AIV) have been expressed in different organisms, such as plants. The present study investigated the feasibility of designing and expressing the HA protein of AIV in the transplastomic microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a novel approach for AIV control and taking advantage of culture conditions, its reproductive range, and safe use in consideration of the generally regarded as safe food ingredient regulatory classification. The results showed that the HA protein of AIV in C. reinhardtii presents antigenic activity by western blot test and through its application in chickens, demonstrating its feasibility as a recombinant antigen against AIV.

Effect of a selected Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic on Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis-infected broiler chicks.

The effect of a Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic (FM-B11) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) recovery was evaluated in liquid (Expt. 1) and lyophilized (Expt. 2) forms in two separate experiments with two trials each. For each trial, 80 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into two treatments: control and probiotic culture. All chicks were challenged with SE (approximately 10(4) colony-forming units [cfu]) upon arrival at our laboratory. In both experiments, probiotic culture was administered in the drinking water for 3 consecutive days at a final concentration of approximately 10(6) cfu/ml, beginning 1 hr after SE challenge. Cecal tonsils were aseptically removed at 24 and 72 hr postchallenge, followed by enrichment and plating on xylose lactose deoxycholate (XLD) agar for the presence or absence of Salmonella-typical colonies. In Expt. 1, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in SE-positive samples was observed in both trials at 24 and 72 hr postchallenge. Additionally, in Expt. 2, the lyophilized probiotic decreased (P < 0.05) SE recovery at both 24 and 72 hr postchallenge compared with the control group in trial 1. In trial 2, SE evaluation was performed only at 72 hr after challenge and fewer (P < 0.001) treated samples were positive for SE. Results showed that application of either liquid or lyophilized probiotic culture in the drinking water for 3 consecutive days can help to reduce SE recovery from young birds, although further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of this response.