Comparing the effect of synbiotic and antibiotic supplementation on production performance and necrotic enteritis severity in broilers under an experimental necrotic enteritis challenge

Authors: SHAH, BIKAS RAJ - University Of Georgia; HAKEEM, WALID GHAZI AL - University Of Georgia; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; SELVARAJ, RAMESH - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Synbiotic supplementation modifies the intestinal microbiota by competitive exclusion, ameliorating production performances, lowering pathogen load and colonization in the intestine, strengthening intestinal integrity, and improving immune responses while providing an alternative approach to antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in the poultry industry. A 35-day trial was carried out to compare the efficacy of synbiotic (PoultryStar®ME) and antibiotic (Stafac®50, Virginiamycin). A total of 360-one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned into four experimental groups: synbiotic, antibiotic, synbiotic + challenge, and antibiotic + challenge, with six replicates. Among four treatment groups, ‘synbiotic + challenge’ and ‘antibiotic + challenge’ is challenged treatment groups while ‘synbiotic’ and ‘antibiotic’ treatment groups are their respective non-challenged treatment groups. Necrotic enteritis was induced by gavaging the birds orally with 1 x 104 Eimeria maxima oocysts and 1 x 108 CFU/ml of Clostridium perfringens on day 14 (D14) and D19, 20, and 21 (0 dpi), respectively. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Both synbiotic and antibiotic supplementation had no effect on body wt. gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio before (D14) or after (D35 or 14 dpi) NE challenge, while antibiotic supplementation significantly decreased the mortality at 0 dpi (P < 0.05). At 0 dpi, both synbiotic and antibiotic supplementation during the NE challenge had no effect on the intestinal lesion score (P < 0.05). At 0 dpi, synbiotic supplementation during the NE challenge increased the intestinal permeability, while antibiotic supplementation during NE challenge had comparable intestinal permeability, when compared to respective non-challenged treatment groups (P < 0.05). However, at 14 dpi, synbiotic supplementation significantly decreased the intestinal permeability (P < 0.05). At 0 dpi, antibiotic supplementation during the NE challenge increased the CD4+:CD8+ T cells (P < 0.05) in the cecal tonsil, however, at 14 dpi both synbiotic and antibiotic supplementation decreased the CD4+:CD8+ T cells (P < 0.05) in the cecal tonsil. It can be concluded that synbiotic supplementation could improve intestinal permeability and elicit an immune response, decreasing the inflammatory response in the intestine and ameliorating the NE infection. Keywords: Antibiotic, Clostridium perfringens, immune response, necrotic enteritis, synbiotic