Stimbiotic supplementation modulated intestinal inflammatory response and improved broilers performance in an experimentally-induced necrotic enteritis infection model

Abstract

Background Two experiments were conducted to establish an optimal NE challenge model and evaluate the efficacy of stimbiotic (STB) supplementation in necrotic enteritis (NE) challenged broilers. In Exp. 1, a total of 120 Arbor Acres (AA) broilers (45.0 ± 0.21 g) were randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement. Vaccine treatments included non-challenge (0), × 10 the recommended dose (× 10) or × 20 the recommended dose (× 20) by the manufacturer. Clostridium perfringens (CP) treatments were non-challenge (No) or 3 mL of 2.2 × 107 CFU CP challenge (Yes). In Exp. 2, a total of 72 AA broilers (40.17 ± 0.27 g) were randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement. Dietary treatments included non-additive (CON), 100 mg/kg STB (STB) and 100 mg/kg STB on top of a typical commercial blend including an essential oil, probiotics, and enzyme (CB). Challenge treatments included non-NE challenge (No) and NE challenge (Yes) as established in Exp. 1. Results In Exp. 1, CP and vaccine challenge decreased (P < 0.05) body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI), and increased (P < 0.05) the number of broilers with diarrhea and intestinal lesions. The oral administration of × 20 recommended dose of vaccines coupled with 3 mL of 2.2 × 107 CFU CP resulted in (P < 0.01) a significantly increased incidence of wet litter and intestinal lesions. Thus, this treatment was chosen as the challenge model for the successful inducement of NE in Exp. 2. In Exp. 2, the NE challenge negatively affected (P < 0.01) growth performance, ileal morphology, immunoglobulin contents in blood, caecal microbiota in the caecum, footpad dermatitis, intestinal lesion scores, tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and endotoxin in the serum compared with the non-NE challenged birds. The supplementation of STB and CB in diets enhanced (P < 0.05) growth performance, intestinal microbiota, and blood profiles by stimulating ileal morphology (VH and VH:CD) and propionate production in the cecum, and there were no differences in measured variables between STB and CB supplemented birds. Conclusion Overall, these results indicate that STB supplementation was able to reduce the inflammatory response and improve the performance of NE challenged birds, and the supplementation of STB alone was as effective as a typical commercial blend containing a number of other additives.

Effects of Eimeria maxima infection doses on growth performance and gut health in dual-infection model of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

“…Reduced VH:CD and GC numbers indicate a deterioration in overall intestinal health, resulting in decreased nutrient absorption capacity and compromised mucosal barrier integrity ( McGuckin et al, 2011 ; Mora et al, 2020 ). Similar to previous studies ( Lee et al, 2022b ; Pham et al, 2022 ), the continuous turnover of crypt cells in response to inflammation caused by pathogens such as E. maxima and C. perfringens leads to increased crypt depth ( Paiva et al, 2014 ). Furthermore, various pathogens attempt to penetrate the mucin layer, and a decrease in the number of GCs can facilitate their infiltration into epithelial cells ( McGuckin et al, 2011 ).…”

“…The current study observed an increase in water content as the E. maxima level increased, consistent with a previous NE-related study reporting an increase in diarrhea score with higher Eimeria spp. levels ( Lee et al, 2022b ). When diarrhea occurs, nutrients in the large intestine cannot be properly absorbed and are excreted from the body ( Bilgili et al, 2010 ).…”

Carbohydrases and Phytase in Poultry and Pig Nutrition: A Review beyond the Nutrients and Energy Matrix

“…This was evident in reduced plasma APP concentrations (e.g., hemopexin and α−1-acid glycoprotein), a decreased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes, a thinner lamina propria, and reduced concentrations of inflammatory markers such as duodenal IL-6 on day 21 compared to the challenged control group. Similarly, in a study conducted by Lee et al [145], it was observed that broiler 1.…”

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Stimbiotics to Sows on Lactation Performance, Immune Function, and Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Capacities during Late Gestation and Lactation

“…Stimbiotics are expected to improve fiber fermentation in the lower gut without acting as a direct substrate for such fermentation [ 1 ]. Recent research has reported that stimbiotic supplementation enhanced animals’ growth rates and gut health by extracting extra energy from dietary fiber, increasing the utilization of the undigested dietary fiber by promoting fiber-degrading bacterium, breaking down the complex fiber structure into a lower degree of polymerization (DP) fiber, and eventually promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the animal’s distal intestine [ 2 , 3 ]. It is well-known that SCFAs, as a main energy source of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), play an important role in the improvement of the gut’s integrity and immune function.…”