This study was carried out to assess the effects of dietary supplementation of yeast-based Zn, Se, and Cr on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, and histomorphological changes in broiler chickens. A total of 1092 one-day-old unsexed broilers of Ross 308 strain were randomly allocated into two equal treatment groups (6 equal replicates/ group). Birds were fed the dietary treatments from day 1 to day 35 of age. The first group was fed a basal diet without yeast-based Zn, Se and Cr supplementation (control). The second group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 1.5 mg, 0.15 mg and 2 µg / kg diet of Zn, Se, and Cr, respectively. The yeast-based Zn, Se and Cr increased (P<0.05) the growth rate, carcass traits and improved feed conversion ratio compared to control. The antibody titer against avian influenza and the relative weight of bursa, thymus and spleen were increased (P < 0.05) in broilers supplemented with yeast-based Zn, Se, and Cr compared with the control. The intestinal villi height and crypt depth and bursa diameters were increased in broilers fed the yeast-based Zn, Se and Cr supplemented diet. In addition, there was an increase in the lymphocytic infiltration in the bursa and a decrease in germinal centers in the submucosal lymph nodules of the ileum of birds supplemented with yeast-based Zn, Se and Cr compared to the control. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of yeast-based Se, Cr, and Zn in combination could improve growth performance, carcass traits, immune responses and histo-morphological parameters in broiler chickens.

This study was done to evaluate and study the decaying curve of IBD MDAbs of the native chicken breeds including (Fayoumi, Dandrawi, Senawi and Baladi) were taken in consideration as compared with (Lohmann white) layer type breed. The results showed that the decline of maternal immunity of IBDV in Lohmann is the faster followed by Senawi, Baladi, Fayoumi and Dandrawi and the 1 day IBD ELISA titers were shown to be nearly equal in Senawi (5449 ± 371) and Lohmann (4536±437) and titer of Baladi chicks was close to the for mentioned two breeds (5327±371), the Dandrawi (4649±331) and Fayoumi (4596±857) are lower but close to each other. The standard deviation (SD) values recorded in Fayoumi breed showed great variation in the recorded titers, while of the other 4 groups seamed to be homogenous. Comparing the 22 day decline manner in titer it was clear that the loss in titer in Fayoumi (3494) and Lohmann (3413) was nearly equal and followed by Dandrawi (3093) and Baladi (2972) those showing lower titers. The recorded unprotected titer ≤ 400 was detected at 43 days in Lohmann, Baladi and Senawi, 37 days in Dandrawi and 31 in Fayoumi. Percentage of decline from its original values showed that Fayoumi last (75.95%) at 22 days followed by (66.53%) in Dandrawi followed by (62.78%) Lohmann,(55.79) Baladi and (55.19) Senawi. Different breeds showed different slope values that indicate differences in the decay of maternal antibodies. The predication of antibody titer for each breed as the slope in decline curve in Lohmann chicks showed highest values followed by Dandrawi chicks while the Fayoumi and Baladi were as the same values and on the other hand the Senawi showed the lowest value.

Outbreaks of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) infection in chicken flocks in Poland threaten birds’ health and lives and are rising in frequency. The risk of these infections in immunocompromised poultry flocks with developed clinical symptoms was analysed through virus detection in broiler chicks and correlation of cases with the birds’ immune strength.

Objective: This study was conducted to compare between the nanoparticles of copper (Cu-NP) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) effect on immunity, pro-inflammatory cytokine, oxidant/antioxidant balance, different behavioral patterns, growth rate, and weight gain by adding them in drinking water of broilers. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty broiler chicks of 1-day-old were randomly divided into three groups: the first group was the control, the second group received CuSO4 in drinking water (10 mg/l), and the third group received Cu-NP in drinking water (10 mg/l) with replicates (n = 25) for 5 weeks of age. Blood samples collected for estimating immunoglobulins (A, G, and M), superoxide dismutase, pro-inflammatory (IL-6), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, heterophil/ lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, malondialdehyde (MDA), corticosterone hormone, and lymphoid organs index weight. Moreover, behavioral observations were undertaken from the 2nd week until the 5th week of age for measuring different behavioral patterns (feeding, drinking, crouching, body care, and comfort behaviors). Chicks were individually weighed weekly (gm); also, the weight gain, the intake of food, and the ratio of feed conversion were calculated. Results: Cu-NP administration has improved the blood profile, lymphoid organs index weight in Cu-NP treated broilers in relation to control and CuSO4 treated groups. Conversely, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, H/L ratio, MDA, and corticosterone hormone were reduced by Cu-NP treat¬ment. Moreover, Cu-NP has a positive effect on all behavioral patterns more than other groups which significantly reflect on the weight of the body, gaining of weight, and the intake of food in the Cu-NP treated group of birds. Conclusion: The findings in this study stated that when the drinking water of broilers was supple¬mented with Cu-NP, there might be an improvement in the immunity, behavior, and productive performance more efficiently than CuSO4. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(1.000): 16-25]

Chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) is an immunosuppressive viral disease causing high economic losses in poultry industry. In this study, 20 farms were represented for a prevalence study of the disease in Ismailia governorate, Egypt.ON532690.1 and ON532691.1 Isolates from bone marrow, thymus loops, liver, and spleen of broiler farms exhibiting some clinical and postmortem signs were used for reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. RT-PCR was used to amplify a 418bp product of the CIAV VP1 gene. Three farms out of 20 (15%) were positive. Phylogenetic tree of partial vp1 amino acids were classified into three groups according to change in H/22/N-Q amino acid indicated that there are three CIAV different strains circulating in Egypt. Hematological investigation revealed significant decrease in RBCs count, hemoglobin concentration, and packed cell volume declared normocytic normochromic anemia.The immunological studies revealed a significant decrease in serum lysozyme, nitric oxide (NO), antioxidants (CAT and GSH), total protein,and in the majority of serum protein fractions in infected chickens (G2) compared to apparently healthy (G1) while there were marked increase in G2 than G1 in A: Gratio. This result guides to review the vaccination programs against CIAV in Egypt forimproving the immune response against the infection.

This study aimed to investigation of the rumen juice transfounation either alone, or in combination with Bacillus subtilis natto, or premix upon the general health condition, productivity as well as upon some ruminal and biochemical parameters in after weaning Holstein heifers. The obtained results revealed significant increase in the body weight in the experimental group receiving ruminal juice plus premix, followed by the group received ruminal juice plus Bacillus subtilis natto, and ruminal juice alone compared with the control group. The immune responses, in terms of high leukocyte counts, lymphocytes, and granulocytes, were also significantly upregulated in the group that received ruminal juice plus Bacillus subtilis natto, followed by the group that received ruminal juice plus premix, and ruminal juice, respectively. Interestingly, groups treated with ruminal juice plus Bacillus subtilis natto, and ruminal juice plus premix had a significant improvement in the hemoglobin level, and the antioxidant capacity. Likely, such treatment groups had significant improvements in both total protozoal count, and eligibility for insemination. In conclusion, the obtained results of the present study strongly recommend the use of ruminal juice in a combination with Bacillus subtilis natto, or premix to improve the fertility indices, and immune responses in Holstein heifers.

The fish industry has grown considerably worldwide, and fungal infections represent a significant aspect that increases economic losses and challenges through high mortality rates. The Egyptian aquaculture industry is particularly vulnerable to Saprolegnia parasitica, a deadly fish pathogen. Using phytobiotics as immunomodulators, antioxidants, and health promoters in aquaculture have been proven recently as an alternative strategy for banned malachite green. This research aimed to examine the thyme effect (Thymus vulgaris) on the immune status of cultured Nile tilapia against Saprolegniasis. A total of 50 fish (Oreochromis niloticus) with skin lesions were gathered from a private fish farm in Alexandria, Egypt. Skin swabs, gill swabs, and muscle tissue were obtained from each fish. After the mycological examination, results revealed that 35 isolates out of 150 examined samples (23.33%) were positive for fungal growth, of which 15 (10%) isolates were identified as Saprolegnia species. In addition, other fungi were detected; 5 (3.33%), 8 (5.33%), 4 (2.67%), and 3 (2%) isolates were identified as Penicillium species, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria species, and Fusarium species, respectively. To evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of thyme, 300 healthy Nile tilapia fish with a mean weight of 30 ± 5 gm were brought to be experimentally designed; they were distributed into four groups (with three replicates) and were fed on an experimental diet including 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 thyme oil (gm/100gm diet) continuously for two months. Then fish were infected with S. parasitica zoospores, which were thoroughly mixed with their diet. According to results, after two months of feeding, catalase (CAT), serum lysozyme activity, and total protein dramatically increased according to the levels of thyme added; the acquisition was for the group fed on a 1.5 gm/100gm diet. Additionally, the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in liver tissues increased similarly. Hence, it is concluded that employing thyme would improve the well-being and yield of the farmed Nile tilapia.

The present work was carried out to study the effect of different levels of Moringa Oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) content as untraditional feedingstuff constituents on ducks performance, carcass traits, blood biochemical parameters and meat chemical composition. A total of 50 mulard ducklings (two weeks old) were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10 ducklings each. The first group was considered the control group (T1) and was fed ad-libitum on a grower-finisher diets. The remaining four groups (T2, T3, T4 and T5) were fed on diets containing MOLM at levels of 2%, 4%, 6% and 8%, respectively. All diets were formulated to be isocaloric (3000 kcal/kg ME) and isonitrogenous (16% CP) as recommended by NRC (1994) for growing ducks. The experiment was extended for 8 weeks. Growth performance parameters include body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed-to-gain ratio, relative growth rate, performance index, protein intake, protein efficiency ratio, energy intake and calorie efficiency ratio were all recorded. At the end of the experiment, three randomly selected ducks were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics, meat chemical composition and blood biochemical parameters. The results showed that ducks fed diets containing 2 and 4% MOLM had higher in body weight and weight gain than ducks fed diets containing 6 and 8% MOLM. Feeding of different levels of MOLM to ducklings had no significant effect on feed consumption. The best feed conversion ratio was recorded in group T3 followed by group T2 compared to other tested groups and control T1. Ducks in group T3 fed on 4% MOLM showed improvements in their relative growth rate (RGR) and performance index (PI) compared to other tested and control groups. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences between the control group and the other tested groups in terms of protein intake and protein efficiency ratio, as well as energy intake and calorie efficiency ratio of ducks. Pre-slaughter weight, eviscerated weight and dressing weight were significantly higher in groups T2, T3, T4 fed (2%, 4%, 6%) MOLM compared to those fed on 8% MOLM and control diets. There were no significant differences in the relative weights of the internal organs (liver, heart, proventriculus, gizzard and spleen). Supplementation of duck diets with MOLM significantly (P<0.05) increased DM, CP, EE of the breast and thigh meat compared to the control group, while ash content was not affected. There were no significant (p<0.05) differences between different experimental groups in hematological pictures, except for WBCs, lymphocytic count, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), hematocrit (HCT) and platelets. Inclusion of MOLM in duck diets reduced the serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, while the serum total protein and its fractions (albumin and globulin) were not affected. It was concluded that supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) in duck diets had beneficial effects on the growth performance parameters, meat composition and carcass characteristics, as well as improved the immunity by increasing the number of white blood cells and lymphocytes and reduced serum triglycerides and cholesterol concentrations.

One hundred and eighty Nile Tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) with initial body weight (IBW) 28 ± 0.33 grams were used in the present experiment. The experiment was conducted in glass aquariums. Fish were stocked at a rate of 15 fish in each aquarium. Fish were allocated into four experimental groups (Each group includes three replicates) and one of them was used as a control. The control group was fed on a basal diet free from moringa leaves meal (MLM), whereas 2 nd, 3 rd and the 4 th group were fed on diets containing 3.0, 4.4 and 7.4 % MLM, in replacement of 10, 15 and 25 % of soybean meal (SBM), respectively (according to the percentage of crude protein in each). The experimental period lasted for 6 weeks (42 days). Parameters of growth efficiency, blood haematology, immune response, antioxidant status and histopathological changes in internal organs of Nile tilapia were used as indices for the study. The obtained results showed that MLM have high nutritive value. Inclusion of MLM in the fish diet at level 3.0 % or 4.4 %, significantly (P < 0.5) enhanced the growth performance indices of fish, including final live body weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and survival rate (%) either after three or six weeks of feeding MLM diets compared with those fed the control diet. Fish fed 7.4 % MLM diet recorded the lowest growth performance traits compared with the control and those fed 3.0% or 4.4 MLM diets. The average of feed conversion ratio after 42 days; recorded:1.84, 1.58, 1.50 and 2.13 g feed per g gain, for fish groups fed the control, 3.0 %, 4.4 % and 7.4 % MLM diets, respectively. Survival rate (%) was improved with inclusion of MLM in the diet at level of 3.0 or 4.4 %, while it decreased with 7.4 % MLM diet. Significant improvement of immunity and antioxidant capacity of fish occurred with feeding MLM in the diet, where levels of IgM, lysozymes, RBCs, GPx, platelets (PLT) and nitric oxide (NO) were significantly increased (p < 0.05 or 0.01), with exception that levels of NO and GPx were decreased in blood of fish fed 7.4 % MLM. The levels of WBCs and SOD were not affected significantly by feeding the experimental diets.

          The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary nucleoforce® supplementation on the antioxidative status and the molecular expression of IGF-1, IL-1ß and IL-6 genes in broiler chickens. 240, one-day old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into four equal groups, each of which contained 60 birds and was divided into three replicates with 20 birds for each replicate. Birds in the first group fed basal diet and considered as a control group (C), whereas birds of the second (200N), third (350N), and fourth (500N) groups fed diet supplemented with 200, 350 and 500 g/ton nucleoforce®, respectively from zero day till the end of the experiment. At days 21 and 49 of age, two birds from each replicate were randomly chosen, slaughtered, and dissected to collect blood and tissue samples. The concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in serum were calculated as an indicator for the antioxidant status. Gene expression of insulin-like growth factors 1 (IGF-1) in liver, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in spleen was performed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The obtained results revealed that the highest nucleoforce® concentration (500g/ton) resulted in time dependent significant increases in both SOD and GPx. This study also indicated that nucleotides supplementation resulted in significant up regulations of growth and immune related gene expression with the best results were obtained with the highest nucleotides concentration. In conclusion, dietary nucleoforce® inclusion can improve the performance of broiler chickens and enhance their antioxidative and immune status.