Investigation of the Effect of Three Commercial Water Acidifiers on the Performance, Gut Health, and <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Colonization in Experimentally Challenged Broiler Chicks
2023
Tilemachos Mantzios | Vasilios Tsiouris | Georgios A. Papadopoulos | Vangelis Economou | Evanthia Petridou | Georgia D. Brellou | Ilias Giannenas | Costas G. Biliaderis | Konstantinos Kiskinis | Paschalis Fortomaris
This study investigated the effect of three commercial water acidifiers on the performance, gut health, and <i>C. jejuni</i> colonization in experimentally challenged broiler chicks. A total of 192 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308<sup>®</sup>) were randomly allocated into 6 treatment groups with 4 replicates according to the following experimental design: group A, birds were not challenged and received tap water; group B, birds were challenged and received tap water; groups C, D, E, and F, birds were challenged and received tap water treated with 0.1% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i> SPECTRON<sup>®</sup>, with 0.1–0.2% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i> ProPhorce™ SA Exclusive, with 0.1–0.2% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i> Premium acid, and with 0.1–0.2% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i> Salgard<sup>®</sup> Liquid, respectively. The continuous water acidification evoked undesirable effects on broilers’ performance and to an increased number of birds with ulcers and erosions in the oral cavity and the upper esophageal area. ProPhorce™ SA Exclusive and Premium acid significantly reduced the <i>C. jejuni</i> counts in the crop, whereas Salgard<sup>®</sup> Liquid significantly reduced the <i>C. jejuni</i> counts in the ceca of birds. At slaughter age, only Premium acid significantly reduced <i>C. jejuni</i> counts in the ceca of birds. All the tested products ameliorated the changes induced by <i>C. jejuni</i> infection in the pH in the ceca of birds. It can be concluded that besides the effectiveness of the tested products in controlling <i>C. jejuni</i> in broilers, their continuous application evoked undesirable effects on broilers’ performance, leading to the need to modify the dosage scheme in future investigations.
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