Effect of Exogenous Enzymes Cocktail on Performance, Carcass Traits, Biochemical Metabolites, Intestinal Morphology, and Nutrient Digestibility of Broilers Fed Normal and Low-Energy Corn-Soybean Diets.

Ross 308 broilers in a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement (four treatments with 12 replications of six chicks each) were fed corn and SBMbased diets with two concentrations of metabolizable energy (ME) (normal (positive control, PC) and low (negative control, NC)) and two amounts of enzyme cocktail (EC) (0% and 0.005%) for 35 days. Performance, carcass traits, serum metabolites, ileal histology, and apparent nutrient digestibility were evaluated. Compared with the non-supplemented diet, the use of EC improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) over 26−35 and 0−35 days (p < 0.01), European performance efficiency factor (EPEF) over 26−35 days (p < 0.05), dressing yield (p < 0.01), villus height (p < 0.05), nitrogen-corrected apparent ME (AMEn) (p < 0.01), and serum glucose (p < 0.05). Compared with the NC diet, feeding the PC diet improved FCR over all experimental periods (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.01, respectively), EPEF over 0−10 days (p < 0.05), and AMEn retention (p < 0.01). To conclude, the AMEn of broilers fed corn and SBM diets could be improved by adequately adjusting dietary ME and using a cocktail of non-starch polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, improving commercial benefits to producers.

Growth performance, carcass and meat quality, bone strength, and immune response of broilers fed low-calcium diets supplemented with marine mineral complex and phytase.

Influence of marine mineral complex (CeltiCal) as a partial substitute for limestone on growth efficiency, carcass traits, meat quality, bone strength, calcium (Ca) retention, and immune response was investigated in broilers fed low-Ca diets with or without phytase (PHY) addition for a 35-d trial period. A total of 300 one-day-old Ross 308 straight-run broilers were randomly allocated to: T1 (positive control), recommended Ca levels + PHY; T2 (negative control), 0.2% below the recommended Ca levels + PHY; T3, 0.1% below the recommended Ca levels + 0.2% CeltiCal + PHY; T4, 0.2% below the recommended Ca levels + 0.4% CeltiCal + PHY; T5, 0.2% below the recommended Ca levels + 0.4% CeltiCal. PHY was added at 500 phytase units/kg diets. Each dietary treatment had 10 replications of 6 chicks each. Results revealed that production efficiency factor was greater for T4 compared to T2 and T5 during 22-35 d and for T1, T3, and T4 compared to T2 during 0 to 35 d (P < 0.05). Feed conversion ratio was lower for T3 and T4 compared to T2 and T5 during 0 to 35 d (P < 0.05). T4 had a greater (P < 0.05) dressing percentage than T2, which had a lighter (P < 0.01) small intestinal relative weight than all other treatments. Breast meat temperature at 15 min postmortem was highest for T1 and lowest for T3 (P < 0.001). Breast meat pH was greater for T1 compared to T5 at 15 min postmortem and for T3 compared to T4 at 24 h postmortem (P < 0.05). T5 had a lower breast meat redness than all other treatments at 15 min postmortem and then T1 and T3 at 24 h postmortem (P < 0.01). Tibia and femur weights were greater (P < 0.05) for T3, T4, and T5 compared to T2, which had the lowest tibia ash content (P < 0.05) and femur geometric properties (P < 0.001). Greater antibodies to infectious bronchitis virus (P < 0.01) and Ca retention (P < 0.001) were observed for T3 and T4 in comparison to T2. Based on the findings of this research, CeltiCal can adequately replace a considerable portion of limestone in broiler reduced-Ca diets containing PHY.

Protective influence of betaine on intestinal health by regulating inflammation and improving barrier function in broilers under heat stress.

This research was executed to study the impacts of adding betaine (BT) to broiler diets on intestinal inflammatory response and barrier integrity under heat stress (HS). At 21 d of age, 150 male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups: control (CON) group, in which broilers were provided standard finisher feed under thermoneutral condition (22 ± 1°C); HS group and HS + BT group, in which broilers were given the standard feed supplied with 0 and 1,000 mg/kg BT, respectively, under cyclic HS condition (33 ± 1°C for 8 h from 08:00 to 16:00 h and the thermoneutral temperature for the residual hours). Each treatment was replicated ten times with 5 broilers per replicate. The HS group showed an elevation (P < 0.05) in serum corticosterone (CORT) concentration, D-lactate acid (D-LA) content, and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, mucosal interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) level, and expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) gene, and a reduction (P < 0.05) in mucosal interleukin-10 (IL-10) level and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) content and relative abundance of mRNA for occludin (OCLN), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-1 (CLDN1), and claudin-4 (CLDN4). In contrast, broilers in the HS + BT group exhibited a raise (P < 0.05) in mucosal IL-10 level and SIgA content and relative expression of OCLN and ZO-1 genes, and a decline (P < 0.05) in serum CORT concentration and DAO activity, mucosal IL-1ß level, and expression of HSP70 mRNA. These results indicate that supplemental BT can ameliorate intestinal injury in heat-challenged broilers by suppressing inflammatory responses and enhancing mucosal barrier function.

Effects of Nano Emulsified Vegetable Oil and Betaine on Growth Traits and Meat Characteristics of Broiler Chickens Reared under Cyclic Heat Stress.

The effects of nano-emulsified vegetable oil (NEVO) and betaine (BET) supplements on growth performance and meat qualities of broilers reared under cyclic heat stress (HS) were investigated. Two hundred and eighty-eight mixed-sex broilers at 21 d were randomly distributed to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments formed by two environmental temperatures (thermoneutral (TN; 24 ± 1 °C) and cyclic high-temperature (HT; 35 ± 1 °C)) and three dietary treatments (control (CON), NEVO, and BET). The cumulative performance (21-35 d) revealed a reduction in average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.05) in the CON compared to NEVO. NEVO and BET groups had a better feed conversion ratio (FCR) and performance efficiency factor (PEF) compared with the CON (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively). The environmental temperature affected daily feed intake (DFI), ADG, FCR, and PEF. The addition of BET improved breast fillets yield, temperature, pH15min, and pH24hr (p < 0.05) in comparison with the CON. Moreover, the TN group had lower fillet temperature and higher pH15min compared to the HT. Moreover, HT increased shear force (SF), hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness of the fillets compared to TN. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with BET and NEVO could effectively improve performance parameters and meat characteristics under HS conditions.

Effect of Different Dietary Betaine Fortifications on Performance, Carcass Traits, Meat Quality, Blood Biochemistry, and Hematology of Broilers Exposed to Various Temperature Patterns.

Improving broilers' production in the hot region is essential to overcome heat-stress challenges. The current experiment examined the effects of betaine's fortification (0.0, 0.075, 0.10, and 0.15%) to broiler chickens during days 1-40 of age. The growth period was divided into the starter (1-18 d) and growing-finishing (19-40 d). During the starter period, there was no heat challenge, and all birds were kept under the same conditions. At 18 days of age, half of the birds were kept under thermos-neutral temperature (TN, 22-24 °C), while the other half were kept under high temperature (HT, 35 °C). However, the production efficiency factor (PEF) was the best (p < 0.05) for birds that received 0.10% betaine. Betaine fortification improved (p < 0.05 and 0.01) body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and production efficiency factor (PEF) in the cumulative finisher heat-stress challenge period (19-40 d). The best performance was achieved at 0.1% betaine fortification with 84 g gain, 4.6 points improvement in FCR, and 24 points improvements in PEF as compared to no betaine fortification. The heat-stressed group consumed less feed (239 g), gained less weight (179 g), converted feed less efficiently (2.6 points), and, as a result, had lower FEF (29 points) as compared to the TN group. Conclusively, heat challenge had a powerful effect on growth performance, meat characteristics, and blood parameters, especially during the grower-finisher period. Betaine fortification (0.1%) during heat stress reduced the negative impact on performance and improved production efficiency, suggesting that betaine is a useful nutritional tool under stress conditions that deserves further investigation.

Effects of phytobiotic feed additives on growth traits, blood biochemistry, and meat characteristics of broiler chickens exposed to Salmonella typhimurium.

Because of concerns over the use of antibiotics in poultry feed, this study was designed to determine the effectiveness of phytobiotic supplementation as an alternative to antibiotic use based on growth performance and meat characteristics of broilers exposed to Salmonella typhimurium. The effects of an antibiotic and 3 phytobiotic feed additives (PFA), Mix-Oil Mint (MOmint), Mix-Oil Liquid (MOliq), and Sangrovit Extra (Sangext), were compared. At day of age, 280 Ross chicks were randomly allocated into 6 treatments. At 15 d, all chicks except negative control were exposed to S. typhimurium. The offered 6 diets were as follows: T1, negative control; T2, infected with S. typhimurium; T3, infected + avilamycin (0.1 g/kg); T4, infected + MOmint (0.2 g/kg); T5, infected + plant extract in liquid form MOliq (0.25 mL/L); and T6, infected + Sangext (0.15 g/kg). During the cumulative starter period, PFA improved performance over that of the control, and the food conversion ratio (FCR) was lower for T3 and T5 compared with T1 (P < 0.05). During the cumulative finisher period (15-35 d), a lower body weight gain (P < 0.01) was observed in T2. T1 had the best FCR and production efficiency factor, but they were not significantly different from those of T3, T4, and T6 (P < 0.001). At 35 d, T1 and T4 had a higher breast percentage as compared with those of T2 (P < 0.05). Blood glucose decreased significantly (P > 0.05) in T2 and T5 compared with that in T1 and T4. Alanine transaminase concentration decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in T4 and T5 compared with that in T1, T2, and T3. Treatments had significant effects on breast temperature and pH (P < 0.001). A significant decrease in the myofibril fragmentation index occurred in T1 and T6. Hardness and chewiness were influenced by treatments (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with PFA could effectively compare with that of antibiotic avilamycin in the maintenance of growth performance and improvement in meat characteristics of broilers challenged with S. typhimurium.

Influence of sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplementation on post necrotic enteritis challenge recovery.

In the animal production industry, plant-derived antimicrobial phytobiotics are used as an alternative to antibiotics. Here we investigated the role sanguinarine-based phytobiotic in broiler recovery from Necrotic Enteritis (NE) infection. A total of 100 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to four treatments: negative control CTR (no challenge, no phytobiotic supplementation); positive control NE (NE challenged); phytobiotic SG (sanguinarine phytobiotic, 0.12 g/kg); and SG + NE, (sanguinarine phytobiotic, 0.12 g/kg and NE challenge). Sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplementation caused significant changes between the groups in performance, livability and histological measurements, however, these changes were not significantly different between SG + NE and NE groups. Significant improvement was detected in NE lesion score of the duodenum and ileum of SG + NE birds compared to NE challenged birds at the end of the production cycle at 40 days old, indicating improved post-NE recovery with the addition of phytobiotic. Sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplementation in NE challenged birds significantly compensated for a NE associated reduction of Firmicutes and an increase in Bacteroidetes. Functional profile of sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplemented birds microbiota was distinct from CTR functional profile. NE challenge was associated with a significant increase in cecal propionic acid, while sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplementation resulted in an increase in cecal acetic acid.

Bacillus subtilis PB6 based probiotic supplementation plays a role in the recovery after the necrotic enteritis challenge.

In poultry production, birds are raised under intensive conditions, which can enable rapid spread of infections, with Clostridium perfringens-caused necrotic enteritis (NE) being one of the most devastating for the industry. The current investigation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Bacillus subtilis PB6 probiotic supplementation on bird's post NE recovery, based on chicken performance, cecal microbiota composition, ileum histomorphometric measurements, and short-chain fatty acid production in the cecum of the birds that were challenged with NE mid-production. Birds were split into four groups, including a negative control, positive control challenged with C. perfringens, group supplemented with B. subtilis probiotic, and NE challenged birds supplemented with B. subtilis probiotic. Following NE challenge birds were allowed to reach the end of production time at 40 days, and samples were collected to estimate if probiotic supplementation resulted in better post-NE recovery. Intestinal lesion score across the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum indicated that at the end of production timeline NE challenged birds supplemented with B. subtilis probiotic had lower intestinal lesion scores compared to NE challenged birds without probiotic supplementation implying improved recovery. Probiotic supplementation improved performance of NE challenged birds only in the post-NE recovery stage. NE challenged birds had a significant increase in cecal propionic acid, which was not observed in NE challenged birds supplemented with B.subtilus. Both B. subtilis supplemented groups (challenged and unchanged) were characterized by a significant rise in cecal acetic and butyric acid. Our results demonstrate that B. subtilis supplementation can assist the birds in dealing with NE outbreak and long term recovery.

Organic acid blend supplementation increases butyrate and acetate production in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenged broilers.

The burden of enteric pathogens in poultry is growing after the ban of antibiotic use in animal production. Organic acids gained attention as a possible alternative to antibiotics due to their antimicrobial activities, improved nutrient metabolism and performance. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of organic acid blend on broilers cecal microbiota, histomorphometric measurements, and short-chain fatty acid production in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenge model. Birds were divided into four treatments, including a negative control, positive control challenged with S. Typhimurium, group supplemented with an organic acid blend, and birds supplemented with organic acid blend and Salmonella challenged. Results illustrate significant differences in feed conversion ratios and production efficiency factor between treatment groups, however, the influence of organic acid supplement was marginal. Organic acid blend significantly increased cecal acetic and butyric acids concentrations when compared to unsupplemented groups and resulted in minor alterations of intestinal bacterial communities.

Ameliorative Effects of Antibiotic-, Probiotic- and Phytobiotic-Supplemented Diets on the Performance, Intestinal Health, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality of Clostridium perfringens-Infected Broilers.

The poultry industry needs efficient antibiotic alternatives to prevent necrotic enteritis (NE) infections. Here, we evaluate the effects of probiotic and/or prebiotic dietary supplementation on performance, meat quality and carcass traits, using only an NE coinfection model, in broiler chickens. Three hundred and twenty-four healthy Ross 308 broiler chicks are allocated into six groups. Taking a 35 d feeding trial, the chicks are fed a basal diet with 0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.12, 0.5 + 0.12, and 0.2 g Kg-1 for the control (T1), Avilamycin (Maxus; T2), live probiotic (CloStat (Bacillus subtilis);T3), natural phytobiotic compounds (Sangrovit Extra (sanguinarine and protopine); T4), CloStat + Sangrovit Extra (T5), and spore probiotic strain (Gallipro Tect (Bacillus subtilis spores); T6) treatments, respectively. Occurring at 15 days-old, chicks are inoculated with Clostridium perfringens. The obtained results reveal that all feed additives improve the performance, feed efficiency, and survival rate, and reduces the intestinal lesions score compared with the control group. The T6 followed by T3 groups show a significant (p < 0.05) increase in some carcass traits, such as dressing, spleen, and thymus percentages compared with other treatments. Also, T5 and T6 have significantly recorded the lowest temperature and pHu values and the highest hardness and chewiness texture values compared to the other treated groups. To conclude, probiotics combined with prebiotic supplementation improves the growth, meat quality, carcass characterization and survival rate of NE-infected broiler chickens by modulating gut health conditions and decreasing lesion scores. Moreover, it could be useful as an ameliorated NE disease alternative to antibiotics in C. perfringens coinfected poultry.

In vitro Antibacterial Efficacy of Non-Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Poultry Industry.

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been used for many years as supplements in various livestock diets, including those for poultry. However, the use of AGPs in feed was also associated with an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in livestock. In this study, the in vitro antibacterial efficacies of eight commercially available non-AGPs suitable for use in poultry were investigated. Assessments included a combination of antibacterial activity assays and estimations of the minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations along with scanning electron microscopy analysis. The results showed that the probiotic, CloStat® exerted a bacteriostatic effect against all tested bacteria, namely Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens, whereas Gallipro Tect® and Bacillus Blend® demonstrated bacteriostatic activity towards most of the pathogens tested. Other commercial non-AGPs, Sangrovit®, Fysal®, and Mix oil blend® showed a stronger or equal antibacterial activity compared to the positive control (AGP Maxus® G100) againsts all bacteria tested, except C. perfringens. Nor-Spice AB® and Varium™ did not show any significant effect against the tested bacteria. Several of the tested AGP substitutes exhibited good antibacterial efficiency against pathogenic bacteria and thus may be good candidates for second-stage in vivo investigations into reducing pathogen colonization in broilers.

Effect of Antibiotic, Phytobiotic and Probiotic Supplementation on Growth, Blood Indices and Intestine Health in Broiler Chicks Challenged with Clostridium perfringens.

This study evaluated the effects of feed additives on the growth, blood biochemistry and intestinal health of broiler chicks. A total of 378 of broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to seven groups. Chicks were fed a basal diet with 0.0 (control negative), 0.0 (control positive), 0.1, 0.5, 0.12, 0.5 + 0.12 and 0.2 g Kg-1 of Maxus, CloStat, Sangrovit Extra, CloStat + Sangrovit Extra and Gallipro Tech, respectively for 35 days. After 15 days, the chicks were inoculated with Clostridium perfringens. All feed additives were found to enhance growth performance and feed efficiency. The best feed conversion ratio was found in the Negative Control, CloStat + Sangrovit Extra and Gallipro Tect groups, respectively. A notable increase in villus length, total villus area, small intestine weight, ilium weight and total lesion score was found in chicks supplemented with Bacillus subtilis. Besides, the dietary inclusion of phytobiotic compounds showed potential in reducing the serum Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentration and increasing the glucose levels. All intestine and liver histopathological signs were reduced in chicks fed a probiotic-supplemented diet. Our findings indicate that supplementation with probiotics and phytobiotics alone or in combined form can be used to enhance performance, intestine health and blood constituents against C. perfringens infection in broiler chicks.

Comparative effects of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis on live performance, blood metabolites and intestinal features in broiler inoculated with Salmonella infection during the finisher phase.

Free of Salmonella infection, a total of 300 broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments (10 replicates) as follows: Negative control (only the basal diet); positive control (infected only); T1, infection + antibiotic (avilamycin); T2, infection + Bacillus subtilis and T3, Salmonella infection + Bacillus licheniformis. The results revealed that production performance was severely affected in the infected group. Also the supplementation of Bacillus subtilis (T2) significantly (P < 0.01) improved feed intake, body weight and performance efficiency factor as compared to the positive control. In addition, feed conversion ratio was significantly (P < 0.01) improved in T2 and T3 compared to the positive control. The results of intestinal health showed that significantly (P < 0.01) higher villus height and total surface area were found in T2 compared to positive control. The results of blood cholesterol, glucose, globulin and total protein concentration were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in T3 compared to the infected birds (positive control). It was concluded that Bacillus subtilis produced superior results in comparison with Bacillus licheniformis in term of growth and intestinal features in broiler by mitigating the deleterious effects of Salmonella infection.

Effect of a low-energy and enzyme-supplemented diet on broiler chicken growth, carcass traits and meat quality.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a low metabolizable energy (low-ME) diet supplemented with a multienzyme blend (KEMZYME®) on the growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of chickens. A total of 108 broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to three experimental groups with six replicates per treatment and five birds per replicate; the groups were treated as follows: a control diet with no additive and standard metabolizable energy (ME; 3200 kcal kg - 1 ); a low metabolizable energy (low-ME; 3000 kcal kg - 1 ) diet; and a low-ME diet  +  0.5 g kg - 1 diet of enzyme (low-ME-Enz). Live body weight (LBW) at 43 and 47 d and body weight gain (BWG) during the periods from 38 to 43, 43 to 47 and 33 to 47 d decreased with the low-ME and low-ME-Enz diets in comparison with the control-diet ( p < 0.05 ). The values of the feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly increased with low-ME diets with or without enzyme at all growing stages. There were no significant differences among treatments in terms of carcass traits. With the exception of the jejunum weight, dietary treatments did not affect any digestive tract segments. Meat hardness decreased with the low-ME-Enz diet compared with the other diets ( P = 0.039 ). Meat yellowness of the breast muscle increased ( P = 0.001 ) with the low-ME-Enz diet in comparison with the other treatments at 24 h post-slaughter. In conclusion, the low-ME diet supplemented with KEMZYME® did not influence most of performance parameters and carcass traits of chickens; however, adding enzymes to the low-ME diet is an effective strategy to improve the meat quality criteria and small intestine characteristics.

Thymoquinone ameliorates pulmonary vascular damage induced byEscherichia coli-derived lipopolysaccharide via cytokine downregulation in rats.

Our study investigated the ameliorative effects of thymoquinone (TQ) on the pulmonary blood vessels which were injured after intratracheal administration of Escherichia coli-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a rat model. Forty rats (150 ± 50 g) were randomly divided into four groups equally. The first group was intratracheally administered LPS (Escherichia coli O55:B5) at a dose 200 µg. The second group was co-administered intraperitoneal injection of TQ and LPS daily for one week. The third group was provided intraperitoneal injection of 1 mg of TQ. The fourth group was administered normal saline intratracheally at the rate of 200 µl. The results revealed that cytokine level of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in serum was reduced in TQ-treated rats. Immunohistochemical study showed that expression of NF-kB was countered in the lung tissue by the application of TQ. In addition, the lesion score for various pathological aberrations were checked when rats were treated with TQ. From the results of the present study, it was concluded that TQ has an ameliorative effect on the pulmonary blood vascular damage via rearrangement of the cytokines in response to LPS injury in the rat model.

Ameliorative effect of Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces boulardii, oregano, and calcium montmorillonite on growth, intestinal histology, and blood metabolites on Salmonella-infected broiler chicken.

This study evaluated the effects of Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces boulardii, oregano, and calcium montmorillonite on the physical growth, intestinal histomorphology, and blood metabolites in Salmonella-challenged birds during the finisher phase. In this study, a total of 600 chicks (Ross 308) were randomly distributed into the following dietary treatments: basal diet with no treatment; infected with Salmonella; T1, infected + avilamycin; T2, infected + Bacillus subtilis; T3, Saccharomyces boulardii; T4, infected + oregano; T5, infected + calcium montmorillonite. Our results indicated that feed consumption, body weight gain, total body weight, and feed conversion ratio increased significantly (P < 0.01) in T1 and T2. Villus width increased significantly (P < 0.01) in T1 while the total area was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in T1 and T2 among the treatment groups. Blood protein was significantly (P < 0.01) high in T3 and T4; however, the glucose concentration was significantly (P < 0.01) high in T2, T3, and T4. The treatments increased significantly (P< 0.01) in the treatment groups compared to the negative control. Aspirate aminotransferase (AST) was significantly (P < 0.05) low in T3 compared to the positive control. In conclusion, the results indicated that supplementation of Bacillus subtilis and calcium montmorillonite improved the production performance compared to other feed additives in broiler chicks infected with Salmonella during the finisher phase.

Ameliorative Effect of Bacillus subtilis on Growth Performance and Intestinal Architecture in Broiler Infected with Salmonella.

A total of 600 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) confirmed for the absence of Salmonella were randomly allocated to five treatments each with 10 replicates: negative control (basal diet only); positive control (basal diet) + infected with Salmonella; T1, Salmonella infected + avilamycin; T2, Salmonella infected + Bacillus subtilis (ATCC PTA-6737; 2 × 107 CFU/g) and T3, Salmonella infected + B. subtilis (DSM 172999; 1.2 × 106 CFU/g). The results revealed that feed intake (FI) and body weight (BW) were significantly (p < 0.01) lower in T1 compared to T2. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in T2 and T3 compared to other treatments. Similarly, the performance efficiency factor (PEF) was also significantly (p < 0.01) higher in T2 and T3 compared to positive control. Villus height was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in T2 compared to all other treatments. However, villus width and surface area were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in T1. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with B. subtilis improved growth and intestinal health by reversing the negative effects of Salmonellosis.

The effect of some natural alternative to antibiotics on growth and changes in intestinal histology in broiler exposed to Salmonella challenge.

This study was conducted to find the effect of different feed additives on the production performance and intestinal histology in Salmonella challenged birds. A total of 600 day-old-broiler chicks (Ross 308) were assignment to 10 treatments. Each treatment was further divided into 10 replicates. The chicks were randomly divided into one of the following 10 treatments as follow: Negative control; positive control infected with Salmonella enterica subsp. typhimurium; T1, infected + avilamycin at the rate of 0.2 g/kg; T2, infected + probiotic having viable spores (2 × 107 CFU/g) of Bacillus subtilis (ATCC PTA-6737); T3, infected + Sanguinarine consisting of benzo phenanthridine alkaloids from Macleaya cordata; T4, B. subtilis (ATCC PTA-6737) + Sanguinarine; T5, infected + B. subtilis 500 g/T of feed (1.2 × 106 cfu/g); T6, prebiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii (1 × 108cfu/g); T7, infected + oregano at the rate of 1 g/kg; T8, infected + thermally processed clay calcium montmorillonite. The results showed that feed intake was significantly (P < 0.01) high in negative control and T2 compared to the positive control. Body weight gain was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in negative control and significantly (P < 0.05) low in T8. Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) high in negative control and significanlty (P < 0.05) high in T6. Similarly, PEF was also significantly (P < 0.05) high in negative control and significantly (P < 0.05) low in positive control and T8. Villus width was significantly (P < 0.05) high in negative control followed by T8. Dietary supplementation of different feed additives may be useful in broiler chicks challenged with Salmonella infection.

Microsatellite-Based Genetic Structure and Diversity of Local Arabian Sheep Breeds.

The genetic diversity of the sheep breeds in the Arab countries might be considered to be a mirror of the ecology of the region. In this study, the genetic structure and diversity of sheep breeds from Saudi Arabia (Harri, Najdi, Naemi, Arb, and Rufidi) and Awassi sheep from Jordan as an out-group were investigated using 19 microsatellites. All the breeds had high intra-population genetic diversity expressed as allelic number (7.33) and richness (2.9) and, expected heterozygosity (0.77). Structure analysis revealed three main gene pools underlying the ancestral genetic diversity of the study populations. The first pool had Harri, Najdi, and Rufidi breeds; the second had Naemi and Awassi breeds, and the third had the Arb breed which was significantly differentiated from the other breeds. Factorial correspondence analysis lent further support to the presence of the three gene pools. Although the outgroup Awassi sheep was more clearly differentiated, it still genetically close to Naemi sheep. The differentiation of the Arb breed could have been resulted from geographic and reproductive isolation. On the other hand, the genetic structure of the other two gene pools could be the result of the past and recent gene flow between individuals reared in the region known to be the center for animal husbandry and trading until the current time.

Effect of dietary phytogenics (herbal mixture) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient utilization, antioxidative properties, and immune response in broilers.

This experiment was conducted to study that effect of a phytogenics (herbal mixture) supplementation as alternative to antibiotics on the growth performance and immune response in broilers. Three thousand broiler male chicks at 1 day of age were housed in floor pens and divided into five experimental groups with five replicates of 120 birds each. The first group was fed the basal diet without any additive in feed or water; the second group was fed the basal diet, and the drinking water was supplemented with mixture of antibiotics (Doxycycline 1 g/5 L + Colistine sulfate 1 g/5 L) for the first 10 days of life. The other three treatments of chickens were fed the control diet supplemented with herbal mixture at a level of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 kg/ton, respectively. Dietary herb mixture supplementation improved growth performance significantly in comparison with control group. In addition, herb mixture supplementation reduced plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations, whereas, high density lipoprotein HDL-cholesterol and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were increased significantly. Furthermore, herb mixture supplementation increased plasma levels of total protein and antibodies titers for Newcastle disease virus before and after the infection. It could be concluded that dietary herb mixture supplementation had positive effects on growth performance, antioxidative properties, and humoral immunity in broiler chickens.