Necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens: disease characteristics and prevention using organic antibiotic alternatives – a comprehensive review

Abstract

In line with the substantial increase in the broiler industry worldwide, Clostridium perfringens -induced necrotic enteritis ( NE ) became a continuous challenge leading to high economic losses, especially after banning antimicrobial growth promoters in feeds by many countries. The disease is distributed worldwide in either clinical or subclinical form, causing a reduction in body weight or body weight gain and the feed conversion ratio, impairing the European Broiler Index or European Production Efficiency Factor. There are several predisposing factors in the development of NE. Clinical signs varied from inapparent signs in case of subclinical infection (clostridiosis) to obvious enteric signs (morbidity), followed by an increase in mortality level (clostridiosis or clinical infection). Clinical and laboratory diagnoses are based on case history, clinical signs, gross and histopathological lesions, pathogenic agent identification, serological testing, and molecular identification. Drinking water treatment is the most common route for the administration of several antibiotics, such as penicillin, bacitracin, and lincomycin. Strict hygienic management practices in the farm, careful selection of feed ingredients for ration formulation, and use of alternative antibiotic feed additives are all important in maintaining broiler efficiency and help increase the profitability of broiler production. The current review highlights NE caused by C. perfringens and explains the advances in the understanding of C. perfringens virulence factors involved in the pathogenesis of NE with special emphasis on the use of available antibiotic alternatives such as herbal extracts and essential oils as well as vaccines for the control and prevention of NE in broiler chickens.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum: a devastating organism for the poultry industry in Egypt

“…Efforts should be intensified to reduce the negative impacts of mycoplasmosis in the poultry industry by adopting biosafety measures and effective vaccinations in the breeder flocks to minimize the vertical transmission of the disease ( El-Naggar et al., 2021 ). It is also supposed to use some safe products such as herbal extracts ( Abou-Kassem et al., 2021a ), essential oil ( Abd El-Hack et al., 2021a ; Alagawany et al., 2021a ; El-Tarabily et al., 2021 ), amino acids ( Abou-Kassem et al., 2021b ; Arif et al., 2021 ), phytogenic products ( Abd El-Hack et al., 2021b , c ; El-Shall et al., 2021 ; Reda et al., 2021 ), enzymes ( Llamas-Moya et al., 2019 ), bioactive peptides ( El-Saadony et al., 2021a , b ), probiotics ( Alagawany et al., 2021b ; El-Saadony et al., 2021c ), plant bioactive compounds ( Abd El-Hack et al., 2021d ; El-Saadony et al., 2021d ), and prebiotics ( Abd El-Hack et al., 2021e ; Yaqoob et al., 2021 ), and biological synthesized nanoparticles ( Abd El-Ghany et al., 2021 ; Abd El-Hack et al., 2021f ) to raise the general health status of birds and improve their resistance to different diseases including mycoplasmosis.…”

Upgrading Common Wheat Pasta by Fiber-Rich Fraction of Potato Peel Byproduct at Different Particle Sizes: Effects on Physicochemical, Thermal, and Sensory Properties

“…The IDF is composed of cellulose, insoluble hemicelluloses, and lignin, and it plays a critical role in human and animal health, particularly in digestive processes, by promoting intestinal peristalsis, increasing fecal volume, and adsorbing heavy metals, grease, and toxic substances, which it then quickly eliminates. Additionally, SDF refers to the fraction of fibers that dissolved in water during analysis [62,63]. SDF accounts for between 24 and 33% of TDF in all experimental FEP.…”

Bioengineered Probiotics: Synthetic Biology Can Provide Live Cell Therapeutics for the Treatment of Foodborne Diseases

“…Competition with the endogenous community, coupled with the host’s immune system, can often control infections. Indeed, some opportunistic pathogens are commonly resident in the gut of most mammals but do not trigger disease unless the endogenous microbial community is disrupted by stress or more often in response to antibiotic drugs that decimate the resident microbes creating an opportunity for pathogenic strains to rapidly expand ( Raplee et al, 2021 ; Abd El-Hack et al, 2022 ).…”