Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026
05:51
Production of Germ-Free Fast-Growing Broilers from a Commercial Line for Microbiota Studies
Published on: June 18, 2020
3.6K
Probiotic form effects on growth performance, digestive function, and immune related biomarkers in broilers.
I Palamidi1, K Fegeros1, M Mohnl2
1Department of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Greece.
Poultry Science
|March 6, 2016
Summary
Dietary viable or inactivated probiotic forms, with or without avilamycin, enhanced broiler growth performance and nutrient digestibility. These additives also modulated immune gene expression, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect at the cecal level.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Nutrition
- Immunology
Background:
- Probiotics and avilamycin are used as growth promoters in broiler production.
- Understanding their individual and combined effects on performance and immunity is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of dietary viable or heat-inactivated probiotic forms (PF), alone or combined with avilamycin (AV), on broiler growth performance.
- To assess their effects on nutrient digestibility, digestive enzyme activities, and immune response gene expression.
Main Methods:
- A 3x2 factorial arrangement with 450 Cobb male broilers allocated into 6 treatment groups for 6 weeks.
- Treatments included control (no addition), viable PF, inactivated PF, with or without AV addition.
- Evaluated growth performance, nutrient digestibility (ileal and total tract), enzyme activities, and immune gene expression (spleen and cecal tonsils).
Main Results:
- Both viable and inactivated PF, with or without AV, improved body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and production efficiency factor.
- Significant interactions were observed for nutrient digestibility (DM, EE, CP).
- Inactivated PF increased lipase activity; immune gene expression analysis revealed both up- and down-regulation of specific genes (TGF-β4, iNOS, IFN-γ) depending on the treatment, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect.
Conclusions:
- Dietary viable and inactivated probiotics, alone or with avilamycin, enhance broiler growth performance and nutrient digestibility.
- These additives modulate immune gene expression, suggesting a beneficial anti-inflammatory role, particularly at the cecal level.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Probiotics
55
Probiotics are live, non-pathogenic microorganisms that confer health benefits by modulating the gut microbiota. The human gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex microbial ecosystem, and the balance of this microbiota is crucial for digestive and systemic health. Among the most extensively studied and utilized probiotics are species formerly classified within the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These organisms not only naturally colonize the human gut but are also consumed through...
55
01:30Development of Human Microbiota
14
The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from...
14
01:18Functions of the Gut Microbiota
14
The gut microbiota includes trillions of microorganisms that colonize the human gastrointestinal tract, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. This complex ecosystem plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal and systemic health. Most of these microbes inhabit the large intestine, establishing a relatively stable and diverse community that contributes to gut homeostasis through various metabolic, immunological, and protective mechanisms.Dominant bacterial phyla, such as...
14