HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Parker, J. Articles by Pierson, E. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Parker, J. Articles by Pierson, E. M.

Enzymes as Feed Additive to Aid in Responses Against Eimeria Species in Coccidia-Vaccinated Broilers Fed Corn-Soybean Meal Diets with Different Protein Levels

J. Parker^*, E. O. Oviedo-Rondón^*,,2, B. A. Clack^*, S. Clemente-Hernández^*,, J. Osborne, J. C. Remus^#, H. Kettunen^||, H. Mäkivuokko^|| and E. M. Pierson^#

^* Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX 75962; Department of Poultry Science, and Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695; Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, México; ^# Danisco Animal Nutrition, St. Louis, MO 63147; and ^|| Danisco Innovation, FIN-02460 Kantvik, Finland

¹ Corresponding author: edgar_oviedo{at}ncsu.edu

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of adding a combination of exogenous enzymes to starter diets varying in protein content and fed to broilers vaccinated at day of hatch with live oocysts and then challenged with mixed Eimeria spp. Five hundred four 1-d-old male Cobb-500 chickens were distributed in 72 cages. The design consisted of 12 treatments. Three anticoccidial control programs [ionophore (IO), coccidian vaccine (COV), and coccidia-vaccine + enzymes (COV + EC)] were evaluated under 3 CP levels (19, 21, and 23%), and 3 unmedicated-uninfected (UU) negative controls were included for each one of the protein levels. All chickens except those in unmedicated-uninfected negative controls were infected at 17 d of age with a mixed oral inoculum of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella. Live performance, lesion scores, oocyst counts, and samples for gut microflora profiles were evaluated 7 d postinfection. Ileal digestibility of amino acids (IDAA) was determined 8 d postinfection. Microbial communities (MC) were analyzed by G + C%, microbial numbers were counted by flow cytometry, and IgA concentrations were measured by ELISA. The lowest CP diets had poorer (P 0.001) BW gain and feed conversion ratio in the preinfection period. Coccidia-vaccinated broilers had lower performance than the ones fed ionophore diets during pre- and postchallenge periods. Intestinal lesion scores were affected (P 0.05) by anticoccidial control programs, but responses changed according to gut section. Feed additives or vaccination had no effect (P 0.05) on IDAA, and diets with 23% CP had the lowest (P 0.001) IDAA. Coccidial infection had no effect on MC numbers in the ileum but reduced MC numbers in ceca and suppressed ileal IgA production. The COV + EC treatment modulated MC during mixed coccidiosis infection but did not significantly improve chicken performance. Results indicated that feed enzymes may be used to modulate the gut microflora of cocci-vaccinated broiler chickens.

Key Words: broiler • enzyme • crude protein • coccidia vaccination • microbial ecology

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Lehman, E. T. Moran Jr., and J. B. Hess Response of coccidiostat- versus vaccination-protected broilers to gelatin inclusion in high and low crude protein diets Poult. Sci., May 1, 2009; 88(5): 984 - 993. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]