The efficacy of bacitracin methylene disalicylate when fed in combination with narasin in the management of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Abstract

The efficacy of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) in the management of necrotic enteritis (NE) when fed in combination with narasin was investigated in a floor-pen study of 2,000 broiler chickens using a Clostridium perfringens inoculum challenge model. Treatments consisted of 1) nonchallenged-nonmedicated; 2) challenged-nonmedicated; 3) challenged-narasin (70 ppm); 4) challenged-BMD (55 ppm); 5) challenged-narasin (70 ppm) + BMD (55 ppm). Medication was provided in the feed from Day 0 to trial termination on Day 41. C. perfringens challenge occurred from Day 14 to 16. BMD and narasin, fed alone and in combination, reduced (P < 0.05) mortality due to NE when compared to challenged-nonmedicated birds. NE lesion scores (Days 0 through 41) were lower among birds fed BMD and narasin, alone and in combination, compared to challenged-nonmedicated birds. Improvements in NE mortality and NE lesion scores were greatest for the BMD + narasin-medicated birds, followed by the BMD-alone, and then narasin-alone treated birds. BMD and narasin, alone and in combination, provided improvements (P < 0.05) in average daily gains over the entire study (Days 0 to 41). The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of BMD and narasin in the management of NE in broiler chickens.

Natural plant extracts and prebiotic compounds as alternatives to antibiotics in broiler chicken diets in a necrotic enteritis challenge model

“…The counts of C. perfringens in luminal contents from the ileum and caeca of birds fed the PC diet were as low as 3-4 log 10 cfu/g digesta on both sampling days, indicating that the IFAs used in the present study were highly effective in controlling C. perfringens proliferation in the gut of broilers. These findings are consistent with previous studies of the culture-based and molecular studies, which demonstrated that dietary supplementation with antibiotics such as Zn-bacitracin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate and tylosin causes a significant reduction in lesion scores and mortality caused by NE (Brennan et al 2003;Collier et al 2003).…”

Botanical alternatives to antibiotics for use in organic poultry production

“…Most of the beneficial effects of AGPs are linked to the reduced incidence of subclinical infections (George et al, 1982;Snyder and Wostmann, 1987;Brennan et al, 2003). Furthermore, stability of the microbial ecology by AGPs has been reported to alleviate problems associated with microbial production of toxins including the thinning of the intestinal wall, suppression of inflammation, and the reduction of bioamines and toxins produced by bacteria (Feighner and Daskevicz, 1987;Knarreborg et al, 2004).…”

Clostridium perfringensin poultry: an emerging threat for animal and public health

“…Avoparcin reduced the numbers of C. perfringens in the intestinal tract of broilers and prevented necrotic enteritis in broilers, challenged with C. perfringens type A (Prescott, 1979;Elwinger et al, 1998). Although many C. perfringens poultry isolates appear to be resistant against bacitracin (Kondo, 1988;Devriese et al, 1993;Watkins et al, 1997), inclusion of this agent in broiler feed reduced intestinal C. perfringens counts, the number of gut lesions, lesion scores and mortality caused by necrotic enteritis in challenge experiments and field trials (Prescott, 1979;Stutz et al, 1983;Stutz & Lawton, 1984;Broussard et al, 1986;Engberg et al, 2000;Lovland et al, 2003;Brennan et al, 2003;Jackson et al, 2003). Also multiple studies showed that tylosin (Stutz & Lawton, 1984;Vissiennon et al, 2000;Brennan et al, 2001;Collier et al, 2003) and virginiamycin (George et al, 1982;Stutz & Lawton, 1984) inclusion in broiler feed reduced the occurrence of and mortality due to necrotic enteritis, and the intestinal counts of C. perfringens.…”