|
|
||||||||
PRODUCTION, MODELING, AND EDUCATION |

* Department of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695; and
Department of Poultry Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Corresponding author: jesse_grimes{at}ncsu.edu
| ABSTRACT |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key Words: direct-fed microbial probiotic feed pelleting Salmonella turkey
| INTRODUCTION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Alternatives to antibiotics, such as competitive exclusion (CE) treatments, have been developed to encourage a protective barrier of bacteria in the digestive tract of poultry to prevent the colonization of growth-depressing or pathogenic microorganisms. Some CE cultures have included undefined normal avian gut microflora (Nurmi and Rantala, 1973) or have included defined cultures using bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp. (Francis et al., 1978). The reduction or elimination of Salmonella from the intestinal tract of poultry is of special interest because of the prevalence of human foodborne diseases caused by Salmonella, with poultry products serving as a vehicle for human salmonellosis (Persson and Jendteg, 1992; Hargis et al., 2001; FoodNet, 2005; WHO, 2006; Higgins et al., 2007).
The term "probiotic" has been used to refer to feed additives other than live cultures such as nondigestible feed ingredients that enhance host digestive tract microflora (Fuller, 1989). This would include many of the indigestible sugars such as oligosaccharides (Patterson and Burkholder, 2003). Therefore, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO, 1999) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2003) have recommended that the term "direct-fed microbial" (DFM) be used to describe live culture feed additives (Miles and Bootwalla, 1991; Elam et al., 2003). Other types of probiotics that are not live cultures have been referred to as "prebiotics" (Patterson and Burkholder, 2003). There are numerous reports of DFM, including Lactobacillus spp., being fed to poultry including turkeys. However, there are few reports where the feed containing the DFM was pelleted.
Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to determine 1) the effect of a dietary DFM on turkey poult performance, 2) the effect of a DFM on a Salmonella challenge, and 3) the effect of feed pelleting on the efficacy of the dietary DFM.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This study was conducted under Animal Care and Use guidelines established by North Carolina State Universitys Animal Care and Use Committee. Day-of-hatch Large White female poults (Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms, Lewisburg, WV) were obtained from a commercial hatchery (Sleepy Creek Hatchery, Goldsboro, NC) and placed in 2 rooms (A and B) with each room containing 2 Petersime batteries (Petersime Incubator Co., Gettysburg, OH) with wire mesh floors. Twelve pens of 7 birds each were used in each battery (24 pens per room, 336 birds total). One of 4 dietary feed treatments was assigned to each pen (6 pens per room for each diet). One room (A) housed nonchallenged poults and the other room (B) housed poults that were challenged with an oral gavage of Salmonella. Feed and deionized, distilled water were provided ad libitum. Mortality was recorded for each pen daily and totaled by week and for the 3-wk period. Individual BW and feed consumption, by pen, were measured on a weekly basis. Weekly and cumulative BW gains and feed to gain ratios (feed conversion ratio, FCR) were calculated.
Dietary Treatments
An original single batch of starter ration (Table 1
; NRC, 1994) was split into 4 parts and used to provide 4 dietary treatments: 1) mash feed with no DFM (M), 2) mash feed with DFM (MD), 3) pelleted (20-s steam conditioning at 80°C) and crumbled feed with no DFM (C), and 4) pelleted and crumbled feed with DFM (CD). The DFM (Primalac, Star Labs Inc., Clarksdale, MO) was added at 0.9 kg/ tonne of feed and contained primarily Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei (as well as other genera); microbial blends and concentrations are proprietary. To reduce the chance of cross contamination of DFM, the DFM treatment pens were kept separate from non-DFM pens so there were no shared water troughs and no shared pen dividers (Angel et al., 2005). Feed samples (2 per treatment, 8 total) were collected and sent, labeled but unidentified, to the sponsor lab (Star Labs Forage Research Inc., Clearwater, FL) for detection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
|
Cultures of 3 Salmonella serotypes (Typhimurium, Kentucky, and Heidelberg) previously isolated from North Carolina commercial turkey farms (Santos et al., 2005) were prepared in brain heart infusion broth (24 h at 37°C) for oral gavage of turkey poults. A growth curve was initially constructed for each serotype to determine the appropriate incubation time at 37°C required to reach the target gavage dosage of approximately 1010 cfu/mL. The cultures reached the target dose in 6 h, which was maintained through 14 h, indicating that the cells had reached the stationary phase of growth. Therefore, each serotype was cultured independently for 12 h and then mixed immediately before administering to the birds.
At 3 d, poults in room B were orally gavaged with 1 mL of the Salmonella culture suspended in PBS at a concentration of 1010 cfu/mL. To lessen the chance of cross contamination, the ungavaged birds in room A were serviced first; then, new coveralls, plastic boots, and latex gloves were worn by the investigators when working in room B.
Sampling, Enumeration, and Most-Probable-Number Technique
At 3 wk, 1 bird per pen (6 birds per treatment) was randomly chosen for organ parameter measurements and intestinal Salmonella content analyses. The selected poults were weighed (g), and killed. Liver, spleen, intestinal tract, and lower intestinal tract from the ileal-cecal junction to the cloaca including the ceca were aseptically removed and weighed to the nearest 0.1 g. Relative weights (g/100 g of BW) were calculated. The length (cm) of the intestinal tract was measured. The lower intestinal tract section was placed into stomacher bags, minced with sterile scissors, diluted 10-fold by weight in 0.85% saline solution and mechanically massaged (IUL Instruments S.A., Barcelona, Spain) for 1 min (Wiberg and Norberg, 1996). All samples were serially diluted in 0.85% saline solution to appropriate levels and then subjected to the most-probable-number (MPN) enumeration method (Moriñigo et al., 1986; Sinell et al., 1990; Tate and Miller, 1990; Davison et al., 1995; Dufrenne et al., 2001; Voogt et al., 2001) and Thomas Approximation for estimating intestinal Salmonella populations (Blodgett, 2001; Swanson et al., 2001; Thomas, 1942) as described by Santos et al. (2005).
Statistical Analysis
Bacterial counts were transformed to their log10 values. Mortality and all percentage data were subjected to arc sine square root transformation before statistical analysis. Actual means are presented. All data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 1998). The data from each room were analyzed independently. The effects of feed processing and DFM on poult performance, relative organ weight, intestinal length, and Salmonella enumeration were determined. The pen (for performance data) or bird within pen (for Salmonella data) was used as the experimental unit. Treatment means were separated using the least square means procedure of SAS with a level of significance of P
0.05 unless otherwise stated (SAS Institute, 1998).
| RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Reports on the efficacy of Lactobacillus-based products have been variable with positive effects on poultry performance reported by some (Francis et al., 1978; Damron et al., 1981; England et al., 1996; Zulkifli et al., 2000) and no or neutral effects reported by others (Maiolino et al., 1992; Owings, 1992). The results of this study with regard to bird performance are in general agreement with results reported by Angel et al. (2005) using the same commercial DFM product. Angel et al. (2005) reported that pelleting feed between 82.2 and 87.7°C did not destroy the DFM in the feed. In addition, broiler chicks fed pelleted feed containing DFM had greater BW, improved FCR, and improved nutrient retention at 18, 32, and 42 d. The effects observed by Angel et al. (2005) were greater in older birds when fed feeds with reduced nutrient content. England et al. (1996) sprayed male Large White turkey poults with Lactobacillus reuteri and included L. reuteri in the feed to 126 d of age. There was no mention in the report of the feed being pelleted. However, in another report that described a series of studies including that by England et al. (1996), the authors reported that in all studies the L. reuteri was delivered in mash feed or applied to pelleted feed (Casas et al., 1998). In the England et al. (1996) study, the DFM-treated birds were significantly heavier at 126 d than control-fed birds (15.1 vs. 14.8 kg). When adjusted to equal body weights, birds fed L. reuteri had improved FCR (2.678) vs. the controls (2.734). The reduction in length and weight of the intestinal tract observed in the present study also agrees with previous work (England et al., 1996).
The reduction of Salmonella in the lower intestinal tract because of DFM administration in the present study agrees with other reports (Tellez et al., 2006). The effect of bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp. to reduce or prevent colonization of undesirable bacteria such as Salmonella in the intestinal tract of poultry has been mostly positive (Edens et al., 1997; Tellez et al., 2006). Edens et al. (1997) reported on the usefulness of Lactobacillus in general, and L. reuteri in particular, in reducing Salmonella levels in the intestinal tract of poultry. Casas et al. (1998) reported a 1- to 2-log reduction in Salmonella Typhimurium in turkey poults when treated at 1 d of age or at hatch. Delaying treatment to 5 d resulted in less effect of the L. reuteri. Similar results were reported for chicks. Higgins et al. (2007) orally gavaged day-of-hatch chicks with Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium followed 1 h later by oral gavage of 1 of 11 Lactobacillus strains in 7 experiments. Depending on amount of LAB provided and time postadministration, reductions of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium ranged from 60 to 99.8% in cecal tonsils and ceca compared with controls. Possible reasons suggested for these reductions were CE and stimulation of the immune system. The CE effects may include competition for receptor sites, production of volatile fatty acids that may inhibit certain microbes, production of bactericins (antimicrobial peptides), and competition for nutrients (Mead, 2000).
In conclusion, the commercial DFM product tested in this study resulted in improved poult performance similar to results reported with broilers using the same product and also reduced intestinal Salmonella colonization and changes in intestinal morphology. These effects were independent of feed pelleting. Further work with market-age turkeys, both in pen studies and in field trials, is warranted.
| FOOTNOTES |
|---|
Received for publication December 7, 2007. Accepted for publication March 31, 2008.
| REFERENCES |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Angel, R., R. A. Dalloul, and J. Doerr. 2005. Performance of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with a direct-fed microbial. Poult. Sci. 84:1222–1231.
Araba, M., and N. M. Dale. 1990. Evaluation of protein solubility as an indicator of over processing soybean meal. Poult. Sci. 69:1749–1752.[Web of Science]
Arscott, G. H., V. L. Hulit, and R. K. Poutz. 1957. The use of barley in high-efficiency broiler rations. 3. Effect of pellets and reground pellets on growth and efficiency of feed utilization. Poult. Sci. 36:1388–1389.[Web of Science]
Blodgett, R. 2001. Most probable number from serial dilutions. Appendix 2. Bacteriological Analytical Manual Online. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ebam/bam-a2.html. Accessed Sept. 2007.
Calet, C. 1965. The relative value of pellets versus mash and grain in poultry nutrition. Worlds Poult. Sci. J. 21:23–52.[CrossRef][Medline]
Casas, I., F. W. Edens, and W. J. Dobrogosz. 1998. Lactobacillus reuteri: An effective probiotic for poultry and other animals. Pages 475–518 in Lactic Acid Bacteria, Microbiology and Functional Aspects. 2nd ed. S. Salminen and A. von Wright, ed. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, NY.
Dale, N. 1992. Pelleting effects on lysine bioavailability in diets containing bakery products. J. Appl. Poult. Res. 1:84–87.
Damron, B. L., H. R. Wilson, R. A. Voitle, and R. H. Harms. 1981. A mixed Lactobacillus culture in the diet of Broad Breasted Large White turkey hens. Poult. Sci. 60:1350–1351.[Web of Science]
Davison, S., C. E. Benson, and R. J. Eckroade. 1995. Comparison of environmental monitoring protocols for the detection of Salmonella in poultry houses. Avian Dis. 39:475–479.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
Dibner, J. J., and J. D. Richards. 2005. Antibiotic growth promoters in agriculture: History and mode of action. Poult. Sci. 84:634–643.
Dozier, W. A., III. 2001. Cost-effective pellet quality for meat birds. Feed Manage. 52:21–24.
Dufrenne, J., W. Ritmeester, E. D. Asch, F. Leusden, and R. Jonge. 2001. Quantification of the contamination of chicken and chicken products in the Netherlands with Salmonella and Campylobacter. J. Food Prot. 64:538–541.[Web of Science][Medline]
Edens, F. W., C. R. Parkhurst, I. A. Casas, and W. J. Dobrogosz. 1997. Principles of ex ovo competitive exclusion and in ovo administration of Lactobacillus reuteri. Poult. Sci. 76:179–196.
Elam, N. A., J. F. Gleghorn, J. D. Rivera, M. L. Galyean, P. J. Defoor, M. M. Brashears, and S. M. Younts-Dahl. 2003. Effects of live cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus (strains NP45 and NP51) and Propionibacterium freudenreichii on performance, carcass, and intestinal characteristics, and Escherichia coli strain O157 shedding of finishing beef steers. J. Anim. Sci. 81:2686–2698.
England, J.A., S. E. Watkins, E. Saleh, P. W. Waldroup, I. Casa, and D. Burnham. 1996. Effects of Lactobacillus reuteri on live performance and intestinal development of male turkeys. J. Appl. Poult. Res. 5:311–324.
Evangelisti, D. G., A. R. English, A. E. Girard, J. E. Lynch, and I. A. Solomons. 1975. Influence of subtherapeutic levels of oxytetracycline on Salmonella Typhimurium in swine, calves, and chickens. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 8:664–672.
FDA. 2003. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affairs: Compliance Policy Guides. Section 689.100 Direct-Fed Microbial Products (CPG 7126.41).
FoodNet. 2005. Preliminary FoodNet data on the incidence of infection with pathogens transmitted commonly through food – 10 sites, United States, 2004. Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 54:352–356.[Medline]
Francis, C., D. M. Janky, A. S. Arafa, and R. H. Harms. 1978. Interrelationship of lactobacillus and zinc bacitracin in the diets of turkey poults. Poult. Sci. 57:1687–1689.[Web of Science]
Fuller, R. 1989. A review: Probiotics in man and animals. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 66:365–378.[Medline]
Gustafson, R. H., and R. E. Bowen. 1997. A Review: Antibiotic use in animal agriculture. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 83:531–541.[CrossRef][Medline]
Hargis, B. M., D. J. Caldwell, and J. A. Byrd. 2001. Microbial pathogens of poultry: Live bird considerations. In Poultry Meat Processing. A. R. Sams, ed. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
Higgins, J. P., S. E. Higgins, J. L. Vicente, A. D. Wolfenden, G. Tellez, and B. M. Hargis. 2007. Temporal effects of lactic acid bacteria probiotic culture on Salmonella in neonatal broilers. Poult. Sci. 86:1662–1666.
Hussar, N., and A. R. Robblee. 1962. Effects of pelleting on the utilization of feed by the growing chicken. Poult. Sci. 41:1489–1493.[Web of Science]
Leeson, S., and J. D. Summers. 2001. Scotts Nutrition of the Chicken. 4th ed. University Books, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Maiolino, R., A. Fioretti, L. F. Menna, and C. Meo. 1992. Research on the efficiency of probiotics in diets for broiler chickens. Nutr. Abstr. Rev. B62:482–486.
Mead, G. C. 2000. Prospects for competitive exclusion treatment to control Salmonellas and other foodborne pathogens in poultry. Vet. J. 159:111–123.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
Miles, R. D., and S. M. Bootwalla. 1991. Direct fed microbials in animal production. Pages 117–132 in Direct-Fed Microbials in Animal Production. A Review. National Feed Ingredient Association, West Des Moines, IA.
Moore, P. R., A. Evenson, T. D. Luckey, E. McCoy, E. A. Elvehjen, and E. B. Hart. 1946. Use of sulphasuccidine, streptothricin, and streptomycin in nutritional studies with the chick. J. Biol. Chem. 165:437–441.
Moriñigo, M. A., J. J. Borrego, and P. Romero. 1986. Comparative study of different methods for detection and enumeration of Salmonella spp. in natural waters. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 61:169–176.[Medline]
National Research Council. 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. 9th rev. ed. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Nayak, R., and P. B. Kenney. 2002. Screening of Salmonella isolates from a turkey production facility for antibiotic resistance. Poult. Sci. 81:1496–1500.
Nurmi, E., and M. Rantala. 1973. New aspects of Salmonella infection in broiler production. Nature 241:210–211.[CrossRef][Medline]
Owings, W. J. 1992. Nutritive effects of a direct-fed microbial preparation on growing turkey toms. Poult. Sci. 71:932–935.[Web of Science]
Patterson, J. A., and K. M. Burkholder. 2003. Application of prebiotics and probiotics in poultry production. Poult. Sci. 82:627–631.
Persson, U., and S. I. Jendteg. 1992. The economic impact of poultry-borne salmonellosis: How much should be spent on prophylaxis? Int. J. Food Microbiol. 15:207–213.[CrossRef]
Plavnik, I., E. Wax, D. Sklan, and S. Hurwitz. 1997. The response of broiler chickens and turkey poults to steam-pelleted diets supplemented with fat and carbohydrates. Poult. Sci. 76:1006–1013.
Robberson, K. D. 2003. Effect of feed texture on growth performance and litter moisture when fed to growing-finishing commercial turkeys. Int. J. Poult. Sci. 2:183–187.
Santos, F. B. O., X. Li, J. B. Payne, and B. W. Sheldon. 2005. Estimation of most probable number Salmonella populations on commercial North Carolina turkey farms. J. Appl. Poult. Res. 14:700–708.
SAS Institute. 1998. SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers. 8th ed. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.
Scioli, C., S. Esposito, G. Anzilotti, A. Pavone, and C. Pennucci. 1983. Transferable drug resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from antibiotic-fed chickens. Poult. Sci. 62:382–384.[Web of Science][Medline]
Sinell, H. J., O. Pietzsch, H. Klingbeil, and M. Benner. 1990. Estimation of most probable number of Salmonella in retail samples of minced pork. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 11:135–142.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
Swanson, K. M. J., R. L. Petran, and J. H. Hanlin. 2001. Culture methods for enumeration of microorganisms. Pages 53–62 in Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods. 4th ed. F. P. Downes, and K. Ito, ed. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
Tate, C. R., and G. Miller. 1990. The isolation of salmonellae from poultry environmental samples by several enrichment procedures using plating media with and without novobiocin. Poult. Sci. 69:721–726.[Web of Science][Medline]
Tellez, G., S. E. Higgins, A. M. Donoghue, and B. M. Hargis. 2006. Digestive physiology and the role of microorganisms. J. Appl. Poult. Res. 15:136–144.
Thomas, H. A. 1942. Bacterial densities from fermentation tube test. J. Am. Water Works Assoc. 34:572–576.
Voogt, N., M. Raes, W. J. B. Wannet, A. M. Henken, and A. W. van de Giessen. 2001. Comparison of selective enrichment media for the detection of Salmonella in poultry faeces. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 32:89–92.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
WHO. 2006. Subject: Drug-resistant Salmonella. http//www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs139/en/ Accessed September 2007.
Wiberg, C., and P. Norberg. 1996. Comparison between a cultural procedure using Rappaport-Vassiliadis broth and motility enrichments on modified semi-solid Rappaport-Vassili-adis medium for Salmonella detection from food and feed. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 29:353–360.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
Zulkifli, I., N. Abdullah, N. Mohad Azrin, and Y. W. Ho. 2000. Growth performance and immune response of two commercial broiler strains fed diets containing Lactobacillus cultures and oxytetracyclin under heat stress conditions. Br. Poult. Sci. 41:593–597.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
S. Rahimi, J. L. Grimes, O. Fletcher, E. Oviedo, and B. W. Sheldon Effect of a direct-fed microbial (Primalac) on structure and ultrastructure of small intestine in turkey poults Poult. Sci., March 1, 2009; 88(3): 491 - 503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. M. Russell and J. L. Grimes The effect of a direct-fed microbial (Primalac) on turkey live performance J. Appl. Poult. Res., January 1, 2009; 18(2): 185 - 192. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |