Effect of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis probiotic supplementation on performance and Campylobacter jejuni load in broilers challenged with C.jejuni.

Authors: Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; APPLEGATE, TODD - University Of Georgia; SELVAREJ, RAMESH - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/14/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter jejuni is a food borne pathogen of poultry and controlling C. jejuni loads in poultry can be expected to decrease the poultry related C. jejuni outbreaks in humans. Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are potential probiotics in poultry production. The overall objective of this research was to determine the effects of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis probiotic supplementation on performance and cecal C. jejuni load in broilers challenged with C. jejuni. A total of 450 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly distributed to five experimental groups. 1) Control; 2) C. jejuni infection; 3) 10 mg B. subtilis + 100 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed + C. jejuni infection; 4) 5 mg B. subtilis + 50 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed + C. jejuni infection; 5) 1 mg B. subtilis+10 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed + C. jejuni infection (B. subtilis strain, HU58, HU58TM; B. licheniformis strain SC307; PreproTM; Microbiome LABS, Saint Augustine, FL). Each treatment was replicated in 6 pens with 15 chicks per pen. At 14 days of age, birds in treatment group 2-5 were challenged with 1 x 108 of C. jejuni via oral gavage. Chicken BW gain when fed diets supplemented with 10 mg B. subtilis + 100 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed was not different than the unchallenged or challenged control birds at d 42 but had lower (P < 0.05) 0-21d and 0-28 d feed consumption and better feed-to-gain from d 0-21, 0-28, and 0-42 d than those in the unsupplemented C. jejuni infected group. Chickens challenged with C. jejuni had higher levels of cecal C. jejuni compared to the chickens in the control group. Chickens fed diets supplemented with 10 mg B. subtilis + 100 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed and challenged with C. jejuni had approximately 0.5 log lower (P < 0.05) cecal C. jejuni loads than that in the challenged control group at 21, 28, 35, and 42 d of age. Chickens challenged with C. jejuni had higher levels of anti-C. jejuni specific IgA in the bile at all time points studied. There were no significant effects (P > 0.05) on serum anti-C. jejuni IgG amounts, jejunal villi height or crypt depth or villi height: crypt depth ratio between the birds in the treatment groups at any of the time points studied. It can be concluded that supplementing 10 mg B. subtilis + 100 mg B. licheniformis /Kg feed can improve production performances and decrease C. jejuni loads in poultry.