Effects of direct-fed microbial supplementation on broiler performance, intestinal nutrient transport and integrity under experimental conditions with increased microbial challenge

Abstract

1. The effects of Aspergillus oryzae- and Bacillus subtilis-based direct-fed microbials (DFM) were investigated on the performance, ileal nutrient transport and intestinal integrity of broiler chickens, raised under experimental conditions, with increased intestinal microbial challenge.

2. The first study was a 3 × 2 factorial experiment, with 3 dietary treatments (control (CON), CON + DFM and CON + antibiotic growth promoter) with and without challenge. Chicks were fed experimental diets from 1 to 28 d, while the challenge was provided by vaccinating with 10 times the normal dose of commercial coccidial vaccine on d 9. In a second experiment, two groups of 1 d-old broilers, housed on built-up litter (uncleaned from two previous flocks), were fed the same CON and CON + DFM diets from 1 to 21 d.

3. The challenge in the first experiment reduced performance, but no differences were observed among dietary treatments from 8 to 28 d. The challenge reduced the ileal epithelial flux for D-glucose, L-lysine, DL-methionine and phosphorus on d 21. Epithelial flux for D-glucose, L-lysine and DL-methionine were increased by DFM. Ileal trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TER) was increased in challenged broilers fed DFM, although this was not observed in unchallenged birds as indicated by a significant interaction.

4. Ileal mucin mRNA expression and colon TER were increased, and colon endotoxin permeability was reduced by DFM on d 21 in the second experiment.

5. It was concluded that the addition of DFM in the diet improved the intestinal integrity of broiler chickens raised under experimental conditions designed to provide increased intestinal microbial challenge.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors acknowledge Nutraferma Inc. for providing Natufermen (Direct-fed microbial product) and financial support to conduct this project, Evonik Degussa Corporation for Bio-lys and DL-Methionine, Feed Energy Company for soyabean oil, Lincoln Way Energy LLC for dried distiller grains with solubles and ILC Resources for limestone. We recognise the bird care provided by W. Larson, J. Tjelta, W. Rogers and R. Holbrooke of the Poultry Research and Teaching Unit of Iowa State University and also thank M. Jeffrey, N. Nachtrieb, K. Nesheim, M. Higgins, J. Green, J. Hanson and J. Santiago for assistance in conducting this experiment.