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Updated: Sep 25, 2026
Chronic Salmonella Infected Mouse Model
Published on: May 31, 2010
The Effect of Adding Terminalia chebula Powder to Broilers Subjected to Salmonella spp. on Performance, Immunity,
Mohanad Falhi Hamood1, Raghad Ali Abdaljaleel1, Akhil Mosleem Alsadwi1
1Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
Background:
The current study evaluated the effects of dietary Terminalia chebula powder (TC) supplementation on the performance, immune response, some lipid profile and histological changes in broilers challenged with Salmonella spp.
Methods:
A total of 160 Rose 308 newly hatched broiler chicks were randomly distributed to four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with TC supplementation (0 or 750 mg/kg/diet) and Salmonella challenge (challenged or unchallenged) as the main factors. The four treatments were as follows: G1, basal diet with no TC and no challenge; G2, basal diet supplemented with 750 mg/kg diet TC and no challenge; G3, basal diet with no TC and with challenge (1 × 108 CFU/mL administered orally at Day 10); and G4, basal diet supplemented with 750 mg/kg diet TC and challenged. The study estimated body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), serum total cholesterol and triglyceride, infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine antibody titres and histological changes in the liver, spleen and duodenum.
Results:
The challenge with Salmonella significantly reduced BW, FI and IBD antibody titres (p < 0.001) throughout the study; however, serum cholesterol increased and triglyceride levels decreased (p < 0.001). Birds in the G3 group (challenged, no TC) showed the most severe reductions in performance and histological damage, including liver degeneration, splenic atrophy and villous atrophy with necrosis in the intestine. On the contrary, supplementation with 750 mg/kg TC (G2 and G4) significantly improved BW, FI and lipid profiles (p < 0.001), and mitigated the negative effects of the Salmonella challenge, mainly in the intestine and liver. Birds in the G4 group (challenged and supplemented with TC) exhibited moderate improvements in liver integrity, spleen congestion and intestinal villous length compared to the non-supplemented, challenged group.
Conclusion:
These results suggested that supplementation with TC powder at 750 mg/kg with and without challenge significantly enhance growth performance, immune response and serum lipid profile. Adding TC appears to offer protective effects by alleviated the detrimental impact of Salmonella spp., making it a valuable dietary additive for improving broiler health under pathogenic stress.
