Evaluation of intestinal bacterial flora of conventional and organic broilers using culture-based methods

The major bacteria colonizing the intestinal tract (ileum and caecum) of organic (O) and conventional (C) chickens were counted, isolated and identified by conventional methods. Chickens were obtained from 7 conventional and 7 organic chicken farms (n=203). Intestinal sampling was performed at different ages, every 10 days, starting at 20 days until 40 and from 20 days to 80 days of age, respectively, for conventional and organic birds. Statistical analysis was performed on two separate data sets (40 days of age and all ages).The comparison of C vs O systems was analyzed with univariate and multivariate procedures. There were large differences in bacterial counts in relation to the portion of intestine, the rearing system and the farms. In the ileum of conventional birds Enterobacteria were higher than in organic birds (7.03 vs 6.09 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05), whereas the contrary was observed for Lactobacilli (6.75 vs 7.07 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05). With respect to the other microflora, the effect of farm probably masked possible differences. The effect of rearing system was more visible in the caecum than in the ileum: Enterobacteria levels were higher in C than in O chickens (7.42 vs 7.05 CFUxlog/g; P<0.01), whereas Enterococci (7.65 vs 6.55 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05), Lactobacilli (7.85 vs 7.31 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05) and total aerobia (8.12 vs 7.66 CFUxlog/g; P<0.01) counts were higher in organic chickens. Multivariate analysis of caecum microflora showed the possibility of discriminating the rearing system. In the ileum of conventional birds Enterobacteria and total aerobia increased with age, while Lactobacilli decreased. In the O system, Enterobacteria, Lactobacilli and total anaerobia showed a similar trend, whereas total aerobia and Enterococci showed the opposite trend. A similar situation was observed in the caecum. Further investigations are necessary to better assess the role and effect of the enteric flora on the productive performance and on the health status of reared chickens

class 1 and class 2 integrons in avian pathogenic escherichia coli from poultry in italy

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Effects of oregano (Origanum vulgareL.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) aqueous extracts on broiler performance, immune function and intestinal microbial population

ABSTRACT A 57-day study was performedto determine the effects of two aqueous extracts (AEs) on broiler performance, immune function and intestinal microflora. Four groups of 75 one-day-old female broilers (Ross308) received one of the following treatments: (1) a standard commercial feed (C); (2) C supplemented with 2 g/kg rosemary AE (R); (3) C supplemented with 2 g/kg oregano AE (O); (4) C supplemented with 1 g/kg oregano AE + 1 g/kg rosemary AE (OR). Individual body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion efficiency were determined at 1, 11, 22, 36 and 57 days. Sample collections for IgG titration and intestinal microflora examination were performed at 22 and 57 days. The addition of oregano AE alone or in combination with rosemary AEs improved body weight up to 36 days of age (P < .01). A time effect was recorded for total serum IgG in all groups (P < .001) and the percentage increase of the value was positively (P < .05) influenced by the AE supplementation. Lactobacilli raised (P < .001) in ileum and cecum of all groups supplemented with AEs. Staphylococcus spp. population was constantly lower in both intestinal tracts of the AE supplemented groups. On the basis of our results, AEs could improve broiler performance and immune function and contribute to a balanced gut microflora, essential for the digestion process and protection against enteropathogenic organisms

Effects of two different probiotics on microflora, morphology, and morphometry of gut in organic laying hens

ABSTRACT The current study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis, used as probiotics, on the microflora, morphology, and morphometry of the gut in organic laying hens. The birds (180 Hy-Line laying hens) were divided into 3 homogenous groups and received a pre-deposition diet from 16 to 20 wk of age and a deposition diet for the remaining 7 months of the experiment. The control group (CTR) was fed a corn-soybean cake-based diet, the second group (L) received the same diet supplemented with 0.1% of L. acidophilus while in the third group (B) the basal diet was supplemented with 0.05% of B. subtilis. At 18 wk of age (T1) and at 5 (T2) and 7 months (T3) from the beginning of deposition, 9 subjects per group were humanely killed for microbiological, morphological and morphometric analyses of the intestinal tract. The 2 probiotic-supplemented diets increased Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. counts compared with the CTR diet. The lowest viable counts of E. coli, coliforms and staphylococci were observed in the L group (

A Walk through Gumboro Disease

Infectious bursal disease (IBD), caused by an Avibirnavirus, belonging to the family Birnaviridae, is an immunosuppressive disease that affects 3&ndash;6-week-old chickens, resulting in clinical or subclinical infection. Although clinical disease occurs in chickens, turkeys, ducks, guinea fowl, and ostriches can be also infected. IBD virus (IBDV) causes lymphoid depletion of the bursa, which is responsible for the severe depression of the humoral antibody response, primarily if this occurs within the first 2 weeks of life. IBD remains an issue in chicken meat production due to economic losses caused by the spread of variants or subtypes, resistant to the most common vaccines, responsible for a subclinical disease characterized by reduced growth performance and increased susceptibility to secondary infections. Very virulent strains of classical serotype 1 are also common in several countries and can cause severe disease with up to 90% mortality. This review mainly focuses on the immunosuppressive effect of the IBDV and potential vaccination strategies, capable of overcoming challenges associated with the optimal time for vaccination of offspring, which is dependent on maternal immunity and IBDV variant occurrence

Evaluation of antibiotic usage in swine reproduction farms in Umbria region based on the quantitative analysis of antimicrobial consumption

Antibiotic use in food-producing animals has considerable impact on public health, especially with respect to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. Pigs represent one of the main species in which antibiotics are frequently used for different purposes. Surveillance of antibiotic consumption and dose appropriateness, through novel approaches based on defined daily doses, is strongly needed to assess farms’ antibiotic risk, in terms of spread of antibiotic resistance and possibile presence of residues in meat. In this study, antibiotic consumption was monitored in 14 swine reproduction farms, together with managerial, structural, and health aspects. Most of the controlled farms (65%) were classified as at medium antibiotic risk, 21% at high antibiotic risk, and 14% at low antibiotic risk. Critical aspects of antibiotic administration concerned treatments for suckling and weaner piglets, oral antibiotic administration, treatment and diagnosis of gastroenteric infections, and use of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine, especially colistin. These aspects could be considered critical aspects of antibiotic use in from-farrow-to-wean/finish swine farms in the Umbria region and must be controlled to minimize risks. Even though a small number of farms in Umbria region are at high antibiotic risk, the risk of antibiotic resistance should be minimized, and management and biosecurity of the farms should be improved by extending the use of antimicrobial susceptibility tests and optimizing the diagnostic methods for infectious diseases. Furthermore, farmers’ and veterinarians’ knowledge of antibiotic resistance should be improved and the prudent use of antibiotics encouraged to prevent the development and spread of resistant microorganisms

Ascaridia galli: a report of erratic migration

This paper describes a case of an unusual recovery of adult Ascaridia galli in hen&rsquo;s egg. Several data are available on this occurrence but it appears to be the first case described in Italy. The worm was identified as an adult female, 6.8 cm in length, with three trilobed lips, cervical narrow alae, oesophagus club-shaped without posterior bulb, vulva near the middle of body, with gravid uteri containing a large number of eggs. The presence of Ascaridia galli in hen&rsquo;s eggs cannot be considered as hazard for public health but may be cause of a potential consumer complaint. Moreover it is a sign of presence of ascaridiosis, parasitosis that still produces economic losses in modern poultry production system

Plasma corticosterone levels in laying hens from three different housing systems: preliminary results

Adrenocortical and thyroidal hormones are physiological indicators of various forms of stress in the fowl. In order to establish possible variations in corticosterone levels, blood samples were collected from ISA Brown hens reared in three different housing systems (cage, floor and organic way). Results showed that corticosterone concentrations were highest in caged hens, intermediate in organic reared hens and lowest in floor reared hens. It could be assumed that in the last one system birds have an adequate space in controlled environment that permits them to satisfy, though partially, their behavioural needs without the presence of different chronic stress factors acting in the other systems