Effect of Dietary Krill Meal on the Performance of Broiler Chicks During the Acute Phase Response

Abstract

The effect of dietary Antartic krill(Euphausia Superba) meal on the performance of broiler chicks during the acute phase responses was studied. One d-old male broiler chicks(Avian) were fed on the experimental basal (0.0 % krill meal), and 0.5 and 1.0 % krill meal diets, and then the acute phase response were activated by injecting Salmonella typhymurium lipopolisaccharide(LPS) three times i. p. at 8, 10 and 12 day of age. The 1.0% krill meal diet group had reduced daily gain and feed efficiency during the acute phase response of the 2nd week of age, while during recovery from the acute phase response of the 3rd week of age the lowered performance disappeared. The acute phase response increased the relative weight of liver and spleen, and dietary krill meal enhanced the activities of MnSOD and Cu/ZnSOD in liver and erythrocyte cytosols during the acute phase response, although neither the acute phase response or dietary krill meal affected significantly PHA-p hypersensitivity. The results indicated that dietary krill meal affected the performance and SOD activity of broilers chicks during the acute phase response.