title: Effects of Bacillus licheniformis on the growth performance and expression of lipid metabolism-related genes in broiler chickens challenged with Clostridium perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Necrotic enteritis (NE), caused by Clostridium perfringens, has cost the poultry industry $2 billion in losses. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Bacillus licheniformis as dietary supplement on the growth, serum antioxidant status, and expression of lipid-metabolism genes of broiler chickens with C. perfringens-induced NE.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 240 one-day-old broilers were randomly grouped into four: a negative control, an NE experimental model (PC), chickens fed a diet supplemented with 30 % of fishmeal from day 14 onwards and challenged with coccidiosis vaccine (FC), and NE group supplied with feed containing 1.0 × 10(6) CFU/g B. licheniformis (BL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, serum antioxidant status, and lipid-metabolism-gene expression were analyzed. In the PC group, FCR increased significantly whereas serum catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity decreased compared with NC group. Dietary B. licheniformis supplementation improved FCR and oxidative stress in experimental avian NE. Using Bacillus licheniformis as a direct-fed microbial (DFM) could also significantly upregulate catabolism-related genes, namely, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1, in livers and changed the expression of lipid-anabolism genes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that dietary B. licheniformis supplementation can enhance growth and antioxidant ability, as well as change the expression of genes related to fatty-acid synthesis and oxidation in the livers of NE-infected broilers.
authors.affiliation: Animal Microecology Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zhoumengjia1992@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zhoumengjia1992@163.com.
authors.forename: Mengjia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Animal Microecology Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zend@sicau.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zend@sicau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Animal Microecology Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Xueqinni@foxmail.com.|Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Xueqinni@foxmail.com.
authors.forename: Xueqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Animal Genetics and Breeding Institute, College of Animal Science and technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. jaytuteng@163.com.
authors.forename: Teng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. yinzhongq@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhongqiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Animal Microecology Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. pankangcheng71@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. pankangcheng71@126.com.
authors.forename: Kangcheng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Animal Microecology Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. jingbooo@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. jingbooo@163.com.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jing
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D000069976:Bacillus licheniformis / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004751:Enteritis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants