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In modern animal production systems, it is essential to minimize the impacts of chronic inflammation and excessive stress so that chickens can use their energy for growth rather than defense.
Although there is no “magic ball” to prevent the multifactorial conditions associated with chronic stress, numerous studies have shown that alternative products, such as probiotics, targeted microbes, prebiotics and phytochemicals, can help improve gut microbial balance, metabolism and intestinal integrity.
PROBIOTICS
Probiotics in adequate doses improve intestinal microbial balance, colonization resistance to infection and immune responses.
Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus faecalis and Bifidobacterium spp. are the most used lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in probiotic formulations. Possible mechanisms of action include:
Deleted:
Maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the intestine by competitive exclusion, that is, in a process by which beneficial bacteria exclude potential pathogenic bacteria through competition via adherence sites in the gut and nutrients.
Prevent bacterial overgrowth in the intestine.
There is also ample evidence that probiotics affect the immune system by balancing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Some probiotics have antioxidant capabilities and improve barrier integrity.
Another study found that both innate and humoral immunity are improved by using probiotics.
A commercial probiotic based on acid bacteria was recently studied for use in poultry. Using this LAB culture, extensive laboratory and field research has shown increased resistance to Salmonella infections in chickens and turkeys.
Several probiotic strains improved animal performance and could be used as potential alternatives to antibiotics.
Figure 1. Mechanism of action of probiotics against the presence of pathogens at the intestinal level.
Higgins et al. reported that probiotics reduced idiopathic diarrhea in commercial turkey rearing houses based on published experimental and commercial trials. In addition, the probiotic blend was shown to improve yield and reduce production costs in large-scale commercial experiments.
Birds treated with probiotics demonstrated variations in gene expression related to the nuclear factor kappa B (NF–B) complex, according to recent microarray research.
These findings indicate that speci...
