Hatchery egg shell membrane (HESM) nutritional supplements modulate immunity of chickens.

Authors: RATH, NARAYAN

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/17/2018
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The need for antibiotics free poultry production has necessitated the quest for alternative strategies to improve poultry immunity. Previously, we showed that post hatch poultry given ‘hatchery egg shell membrane (HESM)’ supplement improves their immunity and stress resistance which was attributed to their bioactive protein constituents and microbial contaminants. Thus, we hypothesized that an early exposure to these factors improve chicken immunity. To test it, we used 3 groups of day-old chickens raised for first 2 weeks with feed containing no supplement, tryptose phosphate broth (TPB) incubated 0.5% HESM supplement, and TPB-E. coli enriched 0.5% HESM supplement, followed by control feed thereafter. At 5 week, each group of birds were divided into 2 subgroups with one receiving saline and the other 2X107CFU E. coli instilled intra-tracheally and 3 days later an intramuscular injection of E. coli LPS (1 mg/kg BW). The birds were weighed before and 24h post injection, bled, and killed. The serum immunoglobulin (Ig A, G, and M) levels against E. coli proteins were evaluated by ELISA. The results showed that chickens receiving HESM supplement alone showed significantly high levels of anti-E. coli antibodies compared with control fed birds and the levels of Igs did not change much on challenge with E. coli and LPS. Whereas the LPS challenge caused a significant loss of BW in control fed birds, the chickens that had either received HESM or bacteria enriched HESM showed significantly lower BW loss. Thus, our results indicate that post hatch supplement of HESM product can improve immunity and impart tolerance of chickens to microbial factors.