title: Rabbit dietary supplementation with pale purple coneflower. 2. Effects on the performances, bacterial community, blood parameters and immunity of growing rabbits.
abstract: Echinacea pallida (EPAL), a herbaceous flowering plant with immunomodulatory properties, has been chosen to determine the pre- and post-supplementary effects on the growth performances, bacterial community, blood parameters and immunity of growing rabbits. The same Grimaud does (14-week-old) from the studied in the first part of this study were randomly divided into two groups (n=50/group). The first group was fed a basal diet without supplementation (Control group, C) while the another group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 3 g EPAL/kg diet (Echinacea group, E). From the second parturition, 80 weaned kits (40 from the C does and 40 from the E does) were randomly assigned to four groups of 20 animals each and were fed a growing commercial diet supplemented with or without a 3 g EPAL/kg diet: the CC group (rabbits from the C does fed the control diet), CE group (rabbits from the C does fed the supplemented diet), EC (rabbits from the E does fed the control diet) and EE group (rabbits from the E does fed the supplemented diet). The dietary EPAL treatment did not affect the growth performance. Ten fattening rabbits from each group were selected to evaluate the bacterial community and blood parameters, while the remaining rabbits (n=10/group) were used to study phagocytosis and the humoral immune response. The variability was evaluated from hard faeces at 35, 49 and 89 days, and the caecal content at 89 days. The variability of the bacterial community of the EE group was higher than that of the other groups. The phagocytic activity was higher in the CE and EE groups than in the CC and EC ones (30.9 and 29.7 v. 21.2 and 21.8%; P<0.05), whereas no statistically significant difference was observed for the blood parameters or humoral immune response against vaccination (rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus) at 95 days old which the serum was collected at 88, 102, 109, 116 and 123 days old. In conclusion, no impact of EPAL dietary supplementation has been observed on the growth performances, bacterial community, blood parameters or humoral immune responses in growing rabbits, except for an increase in phagocytic activities.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kovitvadhi
authors.affiliation: 2Institute of Science of Food Production,National Research Council,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gai
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dabbou
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrocino
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rotolo
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Veterinary Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falzone
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Veterinary Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vignolini
authors.affiliation: 4Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte,Liguria and the Valle D'Aosta,via Bologna 148,10154 Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gennero
authors.affiliation: 4Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte,Liguria and the Valle D'Aosta,via Bologna 148,10154 Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bergagna
authors.affiliation: 4Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte,Liguria and the Valle D'Aosta,via Bologna 148,10154 Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dezzutto
authors.affiliation: 4Veterinary Medical Research Institute for Piemonte,Liguria and the Valle D'Aosta,via Bologna 148,10154 Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Veterinary Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nebbia
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Veterinary Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cocolin
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zoccarato
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P. Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gasco
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002432:Cecum; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D020900:Echinacea / Q000737:chemistry*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D011817:Rabbits / Q000254:growth & development*; D014886:Weaning
keywords: Echinacea pallida; bacterial community; blood parameter; immunity; rabbit