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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Investigating Intestinal Barrier Breakdown in Living Organoids
Published on: March 26, 2020
Elevated faecal ovotransferrin concentrations are indicative for intestinal barrier failure in broiler chickens
Evy Goossens1, Griet Debyser2, Chana Callens1
1Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Abstract:
Intestinal health is critically important for the welfare and performance of poultry. Enteric diseases that cause gut barrier failure result in high economic losses. Up till now there is no reliable faecal marker to measure gut barrier failure under field conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify a faecal protein marker for diminished intestinal barrier function due to enteric diseases in broilers. To assess this, experimental necrotic enteritis and coccidiosis in broilers were used as models for gut barrier failure. Ovotransferrin was identified as a marker for gut barrier failure using a proteomics approach on samples from chickens with necrotic enteritis. These results were confirmed via ELISA on samples derived from both necrotic enteritis and coccidiosis trials, where faecal ovotransferrin levels were significantly correlated with the severity of gut barrier failure caused by either coccidiosis or necrotic enteritis. This indicates that faecal ovotransferrin quantification may represent a valuable tool to measure gut barrier failure caused by enteric pathogens.
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