title: Effects of Clostridium butyricum on growth performance, immune function, and cecal microflora in broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli K88.
abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyricumon growth performance, immune function, and cecal microflora in broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli K88. Three hundred sixty 1-d-old broiler chickens were randomly divided into 4 treatments: negative control (NC) birds were fed a basal diet and not challenged with E. coli K88; positive control (PC) birds were fed a basal diet and challenged with E. coli K88; C. butyricum treatment (CB) birds were fed a diet containing 2 × 10(7) cfu C. butyricum/kg of diet and challenged with E. coli K88; and colistin sulfate treatment (CS) birds were fed a diet containing 20 mg of colistin sulfate/kg of diet and challenged with E. coli K88. Birds fed CB had greater (P < 0.05) BW than the PC birds from 3 to 21 d postchallenge. Birds fed CB had greater (P < 0.05) serum IgA and IgY at 14 d postchallenge, greater (P < 0.05) serum IgM at 21 d postchallenge, and greater (P < 0.05) mucosal secreted IgA at 3 and 7 d postchallenge than the PC birds. Birds fed CB had greater concentrations of serum complement component 3 at 14 d postchallenge, and greater (P < 0.05) concentrations of serum complement component 4 at 3, 7, and 14 d postchallenge than the PC birds. Birds in the CS or CB treatments had less cecal E. coli population at 3, 7, and 21 d postchallenge, and less cecal Clostridium perfringens counts at 21 d postchallenge compared with the PC birds. The CB treatment increased (P < 0.05) the population of cecal Lactobacillus at 3 d postchallenge and the number of cecal Bifidobacterium at 3, 14, and 21 d postchallenge in comparison with the PC treatment. The results indicate that dietary supplementation of CB promotes growth performance, improves immune function, and benefits the cecal microflora in Escherichia coli K88-challenged chickens.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Ferket
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology*; D002645:Chickens; D046972:Clostridium butyricum / Q000502:physiology*; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D019936:Probiotics
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D009113:Muramidase
keywords: Clostridium butyricum; Escherichia coli K88; cecal microflora; growth performance; immune function