ARS | Publication request: EFFECT OF LACTOBACILLUS-BASED PROBIOTIC DIET ON THE OOCYST SHEDDING AND INTERFERON-GAMMA PRODUCTION FOLLOWING E. ACERVULINA INFECTION IN BROILERS

Submitted to: Poultry Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 30, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Previously we reported increased resistance (reduced fecal oocyst) in Lactobacillus-treated broilers to Eimeria acervulina (EA). The present study was designed to examine IFM-gamma (interferon-gamma) and oocyst production. Day-old male (24 chicks/diet) chicks were orally challenged with 10-4 oocysts of EA on day 20 after treating with PRO diets. Sera and intestinal secretions were sampled at 3, 6, 9, and 12 days post infection (DPI). In Exp. 2 (8 chicks/diet), chickens were challenged with 2x10-4 oocysts/bird. Intestinal IFN-gamma in CON chicks was constant through the sampling period except at 6 DPI when a significant (P<.05) increase occurred. In contrast, PRO chicks had a significantly higher IFN-gamma at 3 DPI, which then declined until 12 DPI(P<0.05). No differences in serum, IFN-gamma were observed. No significant difference in anti-coccidial antobodies was noted (secretory or circulatory). Fecal oocyst shedding was sslightly but significantly lower (P <0.05) for PRO than for CON chicks; however, the reduction in shedding was not as great as in a previous study when half the inoculum rate was used. These results suggest a immuno- regulatory effect of PROdiets on the local immune system in poultry and provide a rationale for further study to investigate the beneficial effects of PRO diets in food animals.