Since antibiotics have been banned in the EU as growth promoters in the diet of chickens, several alternatives have been proposed. Amongst them, butyric glycerides provided promising results so far, both as growth promoters in sound birds, with significant modifications of the gut wall histology and as efficient antimicrobials in challenged birds. An interesting further aspect to be studied is the immune modulation effect of butyric glycerides on serum immunoglobulins and on Salmonella enteriditis colonization. In the experience of the Authors, the protection effect of butyric glycerides is completely reached within the first two – three weeks of life of chicks. As a consequence, the present study was designed and carried out on two-weeks old broiler chickens. One hundred and twenty one-day old Ross 508 hybrid chicks were allotted at random to 4 groups (treatments) of 30 birds each. Dietary treatments were increasing amounts of butyric glycerides, from 0% in the control group up to 0.5% in group 3, in the first experiment and up to 1% in the second experiment with 100 challenged birds, allotted to 5 groups. In the first experiment, at the end of each week, 8 birds per group were euthanized and the concentration of serum IgG and IgM were determined. In the second experiment, at the end of each week, 5 challenged chicks were sacrificed and samples of their caeca and livers were examined for the count of Salmonella colonies. In the first experiment, no statistically significant difference could be spotted between groups, but not so between first and second week: IgG tended to decrease, IgM tended to increase. On the contrary, in the second experiment important significant differences put in evidence the neat effect of butyric glycerides in controlling the infection of Salmonella at a level of at least 0.4% of the complete mixed feed. The failure to respond to the immune modulating effect may be explained considering that the first experiment was conducted with sound vaccinated birds.
EFFECT OF DIETARY BUTYRIC GLYCERIDES ON IMMUNE RESPONSE OF TWO-WEEK OLD BROILER CHICKS.
CAMPAGNOLI A;
2006-01-01
Abstract
Since antibiotics have been banned in the EU as growth promoters in the diet of chickens, several alternatives have been proposed. Amongst them, butyric glycerides provided promising results so far, both as growth promoters in sound birds, with significant modifications of the gut wall histology and as efficient antimicrobials in challenged birds. An interesting further aspect to be studied is the immune modulation effect of butyric glycerides on serum immunoglobulins and on Salmonella enteriditis colonization. In the experience of the Authors, the protection effect of butyric glycerides is completely reached within the first two – three weeks of life of chicks. As a consequence, the present study was designed and carried out on two-weeks old broiler chickens. One hundred and twenty one-day old Ross 508 hybrid chicks were allotted at random to 4 groups (treatments) of 30 birds each. Dietary treatments were increasing amounts of butyric glycerides, from 0% in the control group up to 0.5% in group 3, in the first experiment and up to 1% in the second experiment with 100 challenged birds, allotted to 5 groups. In the first experiment, at the end of each week, 8 birds per group were euthanized and the concentration of serum IgG and IgM were determined. In the second experiment, at the end of each week, 5 challenged chicks were sacrificed and samples of their caeca and livers were examined for the count of Salmonella colonies. In the first experiment, no statistically significant difference could be spotted between groups, but not so between first and second week: IgG tended to decrease, IgM tended to increase. On the contrary, in the second experiment important significant differences put in evidence the neat effect of butyric glycerides in controlling the infection of Salmonella at a level of at least 0.4% of the complete mixed feed. The failure to respond to the immune modulating effect may be explained considering that the first experiment was conducted with sound vaccinated birds.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
