Intestinal digesta viscosity decreases during coccidial infection in broilers

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Avian Nutrition
• Parasitology

Background:

• Intestinal digesta viscosity can influence nutrient absorption and bird performance.
• Coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria species, is a significant disease in poultry, impacting gut health and productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of dietary carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on intestinal digesta viscosity and performance in chickens.
• To compare the effects of CMC in chickens with and without coccidiosis infection.

Main Methods:

• Six hundred broiler chicks were fed diets with varying levels of CMC (0-8 g/kg).
• Half the birds were inoculated with Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria praecox at 14 days of age.
• Intestinal digesta viscosity, live weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), intestinal lesion scores, and cecal Clostridium perfringens counts were measured.

Main Results:

• Increasing CMC inclusion linearly increased intestinal digesta viscosity, an effect less pronounced in inoculated birds.
• In non-inoculated birds, higher CMC levels negatively affected live weight gain and FCR.
• In inoculated birds, CMC inclusion did not show a clear relationship with performance parameters.
• Neither intestinal lesions nor cecal C. perfringens were significantly affected by CMC.
• Coccidiosis infection reduced growth rate by 9% and FCR by 8%.

Conclusions:

• Dietary CMC can alter intestinal viscosity, with performance impacts dependent on coccidiosis status.
• Chickens infected with coccidiosis exhibit reduced performance, irrespective of CMC inclusion levels.
• CMC may not be beneficial for mitigating performance losses associated with coccidiosis in this model.