Basal and Infectious Enteritis in Broilers Under the I See Inside Methodology: A Chronological Evaluation

Abstract

Recently, the inflammation of the intestinal mucosa has been related to many diseases in humans and animals. The concept of Microscopic Enteritis (ME) used in human pathology through the Marsh classification system has no counter-part in veterinary medicine. In poultry science, the I See Inside (ISI) methodology, unlike the current linear measures of villi and crypts, generates possibilities to describe and understand the avian ME. Through specific parameters, graded from 0 to 3, the model links proliferative and/or inflammatory reactions in the intestinal layers to some loss in performance. Herein, two trials were conducted in order to describe the development of ME through the ISI methodology in chickens challenged or not with Eimeria spp. and Clostridium perfringens. In each trial, a total of 64 birds were divided in 2 treatments with 4 replicates containing 8 birds each: non-challenged (NCH) and challenged (CH) through gavage with an Eimeria spp. vaccine at 1 day of age and 10 8 CFU/mL of Clostridium perfringens administered at 10, 11, and 12 days of age. At 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of age birds were euthanized and samples of ileum and liver were collected for ISI evaluation, cytokines and presence of macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ cell. The results allowed the description of the avian Microscopic Enteritis and of its two basic components: a basal enteritis (BE) in NCH broilers, over which the infectious enteritis is developed in CH birds. In addition, the chronology of ME translated by the ISI methodology parameters were associated to losses in zootechnical performance.

Novel Models for Chronic Intestinal Inflammation in Chickens: Intestinal Inflammation Pattern and Biomarkers

“…In the current experiment, all the challenged groups presented a high level of enterocyte proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration in the epithelium of the small intestine at 28 days. Sanches and colleagues ( 8 ) observed that during inflammation the avian intestine responds to the lesions in the lamina propria mostly with a strong proliferation of enterocytes that further stimulates the inflammatory response since these new enterocytes are not mature. They also described a microscopic proliferative enteritis in broilers with Eimeria spp .…”

“…Even if the lesions appear minor, ME is associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, and malabsorption ( 43 ). Microscopic enteritis was already identified in broilers through microscopic ISI evaluation ( 8 ), and Belote et al. ( 33 ) have shown that the increase of inflammatory cells in the epithelium has a negative impact on animal performance by reducing growth performance.…”

“…Despite the importance of studying chronic gut inflammation (8), there is a lack of a practical model to induce a low-grade chronic response in broilers that would mimic field situations. Among the developed models in poultry species, most produce strong negative effects causing clinical signs such as the reduction in body weight (9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Antibiotic treatment increases yellowness of carotenoid feather coloration in greenfinches (Chloris chloris)

“…Coccidia are intracellular parasites and their asexual and sexual multiplication inside of intestine's epithelial cells damages animal's ability to acquire nutrients from food (Joyner et al, 1975, Sharma andFernando, 1975). In poultry, coccidian parasites cause extensive damage to the intestinal villi (Pout, 1967), inflammation of the gut surface (Sanches et al, 2020), leaky gut (Joyner et al, 1975), and reduced digestive efficiency (Sharma andFernando, 1975, Russell Jr andRuff, 1978). The damage caused by coccidiosis to intestines has been associated with malabsorption of carotenoids (Kouwenhoven and van der Horst, 1972, Ruff and Fuller, 1975, Tyczkowski et al, 1991 and other nutrients (Joyner et al, 1975, Sharma andFernando, 1975).…”

Antibiotic treatment increases yellowness of carotenoid feather coloration in male greenfinches (Chloris chloris)

“…Coccidia are intracellular parasites, and their asexual and sexual multiplication inside of the intestine's epithelial cells damages the animal's ability to acquire nutrients from food 17,18 . In poultry, coccidian parasites cause extensive damage to the intestinal villi 19 , inflammation of the gut surface 20 , leaky gut 17 , and reduced digestive efficiency 18,21 . The damage caused by coccidiosis to the intestines has been associated with malabsorption of carotenoids 16,22,23 and other nutrients 17,18 .…”