Effect of polyherbal feed supplement vis-à-vis bacitracin on intestinal bacterial load and cellular architecture in broiler chicks and its pharmaco-economics

To explore the possibility of substituting conventionally used antibacterial agents with polyherbal formulation, three groups of ten healthy chicks each maintained on basal (G-I) and experimental feeds medicated with Herbiotic-FS (G-II) and bacitracin (G-III) @ 250 g/ton of feed, respectively and another four groups of ten chicks each- one as healthy control (CH) while three others challenged with E. coli were maintained on basal (CC), Herbiotic @ 500 g/ton (CHB) and bacitracin @ 500g/ton (CB) medicated feeds from day 7 onward till end of the experiment. Birds of first three groups were sacrificed on day 49 while those of the rest of the groups on 66ᵗʰ day. In healthy Herbiotic-FS group, intestinal bacterial load (CFU/ml) was numerically lower (144.00+12.65x10⁷) than in bacitracin group (167.50±10.97x10⁷) but significantly (P<0.05) lower from the control group (205.50±4.45x10⁷). In E. coli challenged chicks also, bacterial load in Herbiotic-FS group was significantly (P<0.05) lower (181.00±19.32x10⁷) than in control challenged (321.00±40.30x10⁷) and even numerically but nonsignificantly lower than bacitracin (242.00±38.72x10⁷) or control healthy (233.00±39.12x10⁷) groups. Height of villi (mm) in Herbiotic-FS group (528.92±34.12) was significantly (P <0.05) more than in bacitracin group (263.36±28.82) but the difference was not significant from the control (364.93±36.72). Height of villi in E. coli challenged birds on Herbiotic-FS feed (548.93±55.16) was almost comparable to that in control healthy group (521.92±33.56 mm) but slightly higher than in control challenged (395.18±24.33 mm), however, significantly (P<0.05) more than in bacitracin group (212.67±18.80 mm). Chicks of Herbiotic-FS group revealed almost normal cellular architecture comparable to the control group but in bacitracin group, surface epithelium at the top of villi was denuded and there was increase in number of goblet cells. Herbiotic at 500 gm/ton also produced sloughing off of the epithelial lining of villi but bacitracin produced more extensive denudation of the villi epithelium. It is concluded that polyherbal feed supplement Herbiotic-FS is a promising substitute for conventionally used antimicrobial agents in poultry production.