Effect of a probiotic on immune responses in broiler chicks under different sanitary conditions or immune activation
1997
Takahashi, K. (Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Akiba, Y. | Matsuda, A.
The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of immunostimulation and a probiotic (Bacillus cereus CIP 5832) on immune responses in broiler chickens. Two levels of B. cereus were given to male chicks; either 0 or 50 mg/kg during the experimental periods. Chicks were kept at either a dirty or clean environment from one to 22 day of age and thereafter injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 500 micro-gram/chick) as an immunostimulator 16 hours before the end of the experiment. A dirty environmental condition was achieved by raising multiple cycle of chicks in the batteries, cages, rooms, and by letting droppings, dust and dander accumulation before the start of the experiment. Dirty environmental condition reduced body weight gain and feed intake. Feeding B. cereus improved feed efficiency in chicks raised in the dirty environment, but not the body weight gain and feed intake. The proliferative response of mononuclear cells of spleen obtained from chicks kept at a dirty environment was lower than that from chicks kept at a clean environment. Feeding B. cereus prevented the reduction in the response in chicks raised in a dirty environment. A dirty environmental condition tended to increase the plasma IL-1 like activity in the saline-injected groups, and significantly enhanced the activity in the LPS-injected groups. Dietary B. cereus lowered the increased plasma IL-1 like activity following LPs injection in the chicks kept at dirty environment. The results suggested that sanitary condition affected immune responses, and LPS injection increased the changes in immune responses. Feeding B. cereus CIP 5832 could improve the changes induced by the immunostimulators
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