A study was conducted to investigate the effects of thermostable phytase supplementation on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broilers for 42 d. 1-day-old Arbor Acres chicks with similar initial body weight were randomly divided into 3 treatments consisting 6 pens of 20 chicks per pen. The control group was given maize-soybean meal basal diet and the other two groups were fed...

Helicobacter pullorum infections are underestimated due to phenotypic similarities between the genera Helicobacter and Campylobacter. The aim of this work was to estimate the Helicobacter pullorum prevalence in 209 caecum contents collected from Italian broilers reared in 33 intensive and 9 extensive farms by using a Steele-McDermott membrane filter method modified. The isolate identifications ...

Two experiments (EXP) were conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of dietary AME and amino acid (AA) density (total basis) on broiler chickens from 42 to 56 d of age. In EXP 1, diets were formulated to contain low AME (3,140 kcal/kg) and moderate AME (3,240 kcal/kg) in combination with moderate AA (16.2% CP, 0.88% Lys, and 0.75% TSAA) and high AA (18.0% CP, 0.98% Lys, and 0.83% TSAA) and...

Broilers fed diets with reduced amino acid levels may be limiting in isoleucine. Because research addressing daily Ile needs for broiler immunity is sparse, Ile responses for immunity in female broilers were evaluated in 2 experiments in broilers from 30 to 42 d of age. Cellular and humoral immunity were evaluated in diets limiting in Ile and diets varying in Ile from deficient to adequate. Pen...

The effect of a dietary phytogenic feed additive (PFA) inclusion level in mucin monosaccharide composition, mucosal morphometry and mucus histochemistry along the broiler intestinal tract was studied. Cobb male broilers (n = 525) were allocated into five experimental treatments that, depending on the type of addition in the basal diet (BD), were labeled as follows: C (BD based on maize-soybean ...

Pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS; ascites) in fast growing meat-type chickens (broilers) is characterized by the onset of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) leading to right-sided congestive heart failure and terminal ascites. Intravenous microparticle (MP) injection is a tool used by poultry geneticists to screen for the broilers that are resistant (RES) or susceptible (SUS)...

Breast meat yield (% of BW) of featherless broilers (sc/sc) is higher than that of their feathered sibs (+/sc) and contemporary broilers (+/+) under hot temperature (32°C) conditions. This study tested the hypothesis that the advantage to the featherless broiler condition with respect to breast meat yield and quality is due to differences in muscle development during pre- and posthatch periods....

The probiotic strain Lactobacillus johnsonii BS15 could exert beneficial effects on growth performance, lipid metabolism, and intestinal microflora in healthy broilers and those afflicted with subclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE). In particular, BS15 prevents SNE by enhancing intestinal immunity. To further understand the immune regulatory mechanism of BS15, we evaluated its effects on the over...

The use of antimicrobial growth promoters in Danish food animal production was discontinued in 1998. Contrary to concerns that pathogen load would increase; we found a significant decrease in Salmonella in broilers, swine, pork, and chicken meat and no change in the prevalence of Campylobacter in broilers.

To investigate feed as a source for fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in broiler chickens, we compared antimicrobial drug-resistant E. coli from broiler feed and broilers with ciprofloxacin-resistant human clinical isolates by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Feed was implicated as a source for ciprofloxacin-resistant broiler-derived E. coli and broilers as a source for ciproflo...