Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum on intestinal integrity and immune responses of egg-laying chickens infected with Clostridium perfringens under the free-range or the specific pathogen free environment

Abstract

Background: Necrotic enteritis, which is caused by Clostridium perfringens, has resulted in more than $2 billion losses in the poultry industry every year. Due to the ban of antibiotics in feed industry, alternatives like environment improvement and probiotics have been found to be effective as well. In our study, we aim to explore the protective effect of Lactobacillus plantarum supplementation on CP infected chickens in two environments. Results:The results showed that the Clostridium perfringens administration led to visible and histomorphological gut lesions. In the specific pathogen free or free-range system environment, dietary supplementation with LP obvious increased the ratio of intestinal villus height to crypt depth and the expression of MUC2 mRNA in ileum mucosa, then reduced the mRNA expression level of TNF-α gene in the ileum mucosa. LP treatment significantly reduced the contents of total protein, total superoxide dismutase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in serum of the chickens. Conclusions:The specific pathogen free environment contributed to the recovery of pre-inflammation of the chickens, and free-range system environment contributed to the repair of damage in the later stages of chicken inflammation. Supplementation of LP in FRS environment was more conducive to the recovery of CP infected in chickens.

Onion leaf and synthetic additives in broiler diet: impact on splenic cytokines, serum immunoglobulins, cecal bacterial population, and muscle antioxidant status

“…can limit the proliferation of pathogenic bacterial such as Clostridium perfringens , Salmonella spp. and E. coli via bacteriocins, bacteriostatic, and bacteriocidal effects 65–67 and by competitive exclusion of pathogens 66,67 . Our findings agree with those of previous research in which the dietary supplementation of onion bulb reduced E. coli and improved Lactobacillus spp.…”

Protective and immunostimulatory effects of in-feed preparations of an anticoccidial, a probiotic, a vitamin-selenium complex, and Ferulago angulata extract in broiler chickens infected with Eimeria species

“…Administration of a probiotic containing a blend of Saccharomyces and Pediococcus has shown an improvement over the antibody response in Eimeria-challenged broilers [ 3 ]. Recent evidence indicates that probiotics may enhance host defenses against infection because of the bacteria’s effect on host immunity and gut integrity under enteric pathogen challenge [ 7 , 9 , 46 ].…”

Butyric and Citric Acids and Their Salts in Poultry Nutrition: Effects on Gut Health and Intestinal Microbiota

“…and other Gram-negative bacteria species are common pathogens found in poultry farming [ 99 , 100 ]. These pathogens damage the villus–crypt units and intestinal mucosa of birds, lower the surface area for nutrient digestion and absorption, then reduce overall performance [ 101 , 102 ]. BA and CA are weak organic acids having different antibacterial actions, depending on the pKa value of the acids and intestinal pH [ 38 , 103 ] that cause the death of harmful bacteria in the gut of animals [ 16 , 104 ].…”