Effects of riboflavin and Bacillus subtilis on internal organ development and intestinal health of Ross 708 male broilers with or without coccidial challenge

Abstract

In a companion study, we found that inclusion of different doses of riboflavin affected growth performance of Ross 708 male broilers' responses to coccidial challenge (by 5 Eimeria spp on day 14 of age) and dietary Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ) supplementation. The current study was conducted to further test whether supplementation of B. subtilis and riboflavin will reduce negative impact and inflammation caused by Eimeria spp proliferation and help proper function of internal organs. A total of 1,248 Ross × Ross 708 male broiler chicks were randomly placed in 96 floor pens (8 blocks, 12 treatments). Treatments were arranged in a 3 (riboflavin) × 2 ( B. subtilis) × 2 (Coccidial challenge) factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design. Coccidial challenge reduced the weight of sampled birds on day 27 and day 36 and increased the relative weights of the internal organs of proventriculus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and spleen to BW on day 27, which may be because of inflammation caused by proliferation of Eimeria spp. The increased relative weights of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and spleen on coccidial challenged birds were lost on day 36. Correlation analysis also indicated that the jejunum weight was positively related to villus height, Eimeria acervulina, and Eimeria maxima on day 27 but was not on day 36. The loss of the positive relationships may be because of recovery of the birds from coccidiosis on day 36. Even though the coccidial challenge and riboflavin interactively affected feed conversion ratio and BW gain and supplementation of dietary B. subtilis reduced mortality from day 35 to 42 in the companion study, the same response of internal organs was not observed in the current study. Coccidial challenge compromised development of internal organs of Ross 708 male broilers at an early age, but the negative effects subsided with age of birds rather than supplementation of riboflavin and B. subtilis at current tested levels under our experimental set up.

Internal organ and skeletal muscle development in commercial broilers with woody breast myopathy

“…Male broilers are more susceptible to WB due to their biological characteristics related to higher body weight, fat metabolism, and oxidative stress response ( Brothers et al, 2019 ). Antibiotics (bacitracin), probiotics ( Bacillus subtilis ), and cocci challenges influence gut health conditions, which can affect internal organ development ( Wang et al, 2018 ; Poudel et al, 2021 ). Dietary antibiotics can modify organ size and function, thus improving growth performance ( Castanon, 2007 ; Crisol-Martinez et al, 2017 ; Manafi et al, 2019 ).…”

Riboflavin and Bacillus subtilis effects on growth performance and woody-breast of Ross 708 broilers with or without Eimeria spp. challenge

“…However, there was intestinal inflammation in d 27, which was in the path of the recovery until d 36. Since the birds were on the path of recovery, we did not observe any changes in jejunum histology on d 36 in a companion study [ 39 ] and challenge birds, had lower FCR d 28 to 35 compared to non-challenged. The lower in FCR of challenged birds from d 28 to 35 in this study; might be due to challenged birds still having a lower BW, and the nutritional requirement for maintenance was lower than that of the heavier non-challenged birds for the same period.…”

“…In a companion study, we found that the Eimeria spp. challenge reduced villus height to crypt depth ratio and increased crypt depth in duodenum and ileum on d 27 [ 39 ]. The damage in the intestinal structure due to Eimeria proliferation can reduce absorption of carbohydrates and protein, as it was found that Eimeria spp.…”

“…Birds belonging to non-challenged groups were orally gavaged with 1 mL of sterilized distilled water. In order to verify that the coccidial challenge was successful, the coccidial lesion was scored and reported in a companion study [ 39 ]. Scoring was conducted according to modified methods described by Conway and Elizabeth McKenzie [ 9 ], which is based on scores ranging from 0 (no gross lesion), 1 (0 to 4 petechiae on serosa per cm 2 ), 2 (4 to 10 petechiae on serosa per cm 2 ), and 3 (10 to numerous petechiae on serosa per cm 2 ).…”

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Probiotic Aspergillus niger on Performance and Cecal Microbiota in Hy-Line W-36 Laying Hens

“…It has been observed that the inclusion of subtherapeutic dosages of antibiotics as a growth promoter in poultry diet improved the growth, production, and feed efficiency by reducing the pathogens ( Clostridium spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli , etc.) in the gastrointestinal tract and enhancing gut health [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Although the inclusion of subtherapeutic dosages of antibiotics in poultry diets has some beneficial effects, its use has been questioned, mostly due to the antimicrobial resistance among zoonotic microorganisms and antibiotic residues in the final products [ 1 , 3 , 9 ].…”