Effect of dietary lactose on cecal pH, bacteriostatic volatile fatty acids, and Salmonella typhimurium colonization of broiler chicks

One-day-old broiler chicks were inoculated with volatile fatty acid producing cecal flora from adult chickens. The chicks were divided into four groups and provided 1) no lactose, 2) 2.5% lactose in water, 3) 5% lactose in feed, or 4) 10% lactose in feed, until 10 days of age. All groups were challenged at 3 days of age with 10(6) or 10(8) S. typhimurium. At 10 days, the number of Salmonella in the ceca of the chicks challenged with 10(6) Salmonella was significantly decreased (P less than 0.01) in the groups provided lactose as compared with the controls. A significant decrease (P less than 0.01) in Salmonella numbers occurred in the chicks challenged with 10(8) Salmonella and provided 10% lactose. Providing 2.5% lactose or 5% lactose failed to inhibit Salmonella growth in chicks challenged with 10(8) Salmonella. The pH of the ceca of the groups provided lactose decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) and was accompanied by significant increases (P less than 0.01) in the concentrations of bacteriostatic acetic and propionic acids. Results showed that providing dietary lactose to broiler chicks and inoculation with normal cecal flora decreased cecal pH, increased the concentrations of bacteriostatic volatile fatty acids, and inhibited Salmonella colonization.     

Influence of reticuloendotheliosis on the severity of Eimeria tenella infection in broiler chickens

Broiler chickens free of maternal immunity to reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) were used in the experiment. Two groups of 25 chickens were inoculated with REV at one day of age. One of these groups and another group of 25 chickens were inoculated with Eimeria tenella sporulated oocysts at 7 days of age. Chickens inoculated with E. tenella showed bloody diarrhoea from 12 to 14 days of age. Six out of 25 chickens died (P less than 0.05) at 13 and 14 days of age in the dual infected group. At 14 days of age, when chickens were killed, the lesion score in the combined infection group, was statistically different from that in the chickens inoculated with E. tenella alone. Also the weights of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were lower in the two REV infected groups than in the controls. Although REV infection alone adversely affected the weight gain and feed conversion, with combined infection this effect was much greater. Following REV inoculation most of the chickens showed feathering defects and all the examined chickens were viraemic at 21 days of age. At the same age, all but one chicken failed to show precipitating antigenaemia and about one-half of these chickens showed a very low serum neutralisation titre. None of these chickens showed precipitating antibodies.     

Growth of Salmonella typhimurium in the caecum of gnotobiotic chickens with Eimeria tenella

Gnotobiotic chickens infected with Eimeria tenella (5 X 10(4) oocysts per bird) received an oral inoculation of 100 Salmonella typhimurium two, four, six or eight days after coccidial infection at four days old. When S typhimurium was given two or four days after E tenella infection, S typhimurium counts in the caecal contents were similar to the counts in birds infected with S typhimurium alone. When S typhimurium was given six or eight days after E tenella infection, counts of the organism were significantly greater than with S typhimurium infection alone. There were no differences in the number of chickens positive for S typhimurium in the caecal contents, bile, liver and spleen between the two groups.     

Influence of inoculation dose, inoculation schedule, chicken age, and host genetics on disease susceptibility and development of resistance to Eimeria tenella infection

Various parasite- and host-related factors influencing disease susceptibility and development of protective immunity against Eimeria tenella infection were investigated in two inbred strains of chickens. Chickens that received a primary inoculation of 10(3), 10(4), or 10(5) oocysts showed a significant reduction in packed cell volume and produced significantly more oocysts than chickens inoculated with fewer oocysts. Younger chickens were as susceptible as older chickens to identical parasite doses. However, upon a secondary inoculation 5 weeks following primary inoculation, FP chickens 1 to 21 days old at the time of primary inoculation developed resistance to reinfection, whereas SC chickens less than 3 weeks old at the time of primary inoculation were highly susceptible to secondary infection. Flow cytometric analysis of spleen lymphocytes showed a substantial reduction in T-cell number in 1-day-old SC but not FP chickens. Furthermore, 1-week-old SC chickens showed depressed mitogenic responses to concanavalin A compared with 1-week-old FP chickens. There was no significant difference between SC and FP chickens in speen B-cell number, regardless of age.     

Studies on the stage of action of lasalocid against Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina in the chicken

Broiler chickens in battery pens were either fed a diet containing 100 ppm lasalocid or no drug for 24 h prior to inoculation with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella or Eimeria acervulina. Different groups of birds remained on medicated feed for 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 or 144 h after inoculation. Conversely, other groups started on an unmedicated diet, were given medicated feed at different times after oocyst inoculation. Starting lasalocid medication 24 h (E. tenella) or 48 h (E. acervulina) after inoculation reduced the lesions and improved the weight gain. There was no significant difference in performance of birds after withdrawal of the drug at 48 h (E. tenella) or 72 h (E. acervulina) and thereafter. Starting lasalocid medication at 96 or 120 h did not suppress but rather reduced oocyst production.     

Effect of lasalocid on the development of Eimeria tenella in chicken embryos

Sporozoites of Eimeria tenella were treated with lasalocid in vitro and their viability tested by inoculating them into the allantoic cavity of 11-day-old chicken embryos. Concentrations of 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 micrograms ml-1 reduced sporozoite viability, as judged by oocyst production. Injections into the embryos of 5, 50 or 500 micrograms of lasalocid 92-93 h after infection also reduced oocyst production, indicating activity against the later stages of the life cycle.     

五种不同地理株柔嫩艾美耳球虫免疫保护性比较

用五个不同地理株的柔嫩艾美耳球虫（Eimeria tenella），即：广州株、保定株、长春株、北京株、沈阳株，对12日龄雏鸡分别进行免疫攻虫。通过OPG计数，粪便计分，盲肠病变计分，增重测定，计算保护率。结果发现不同地理株球虫的免疫保护率有明显差异，广州株80．2％〉保定株73．2％〉长春株68．4％〉北京株63．8％〉沈阳株51．0％。其中广州株比其他虫株有显著保护率（P〈0．01）。免疫后的雏鸡抽血进行CD4^＋、CD8^＋T细胞检测，结果各株均能引起两种T细胞数量增加，表明CD4^＋、CD8^＋T细胞在球虫免疫中起着重要作用。     

柔嫩艾美尔球虫与肠炎沙门菌混合感染对雏鸡盲肠菌群的影响

为探讨柔嫩艾美尔球虫与肠炎沙门菌单独感染及混合感染对盲肠肠道菌群的影响,12日龄莱航鸡口服单独或混合感染柔嫩艾美尔球虫或肠炎沙门菌,18日龄通过16SrRNA Miseq高通量测序检测鸡盲肠菌群组成。结果表明,18日龄莱航鸡盲肠内主要菌群为厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门。与柔嫩艾美尔球虫或肠炎沙门菌单独感染相比,混合感染导致肠杆菌科明显增加,毛螺菌科明显减少;因此,柔嫩艾美尔球虫与肠炎沙门菌混合感染对盲肠肠道菌群的影响与两者单独感染明显不同。     

Genetics of resistance to coccidiosis: response of inbred chicken lines to infection by Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima

1. Experiments have been carried out to compare weight gain, mortality and oocyst production in 7 inbred and partially inbred lines of chickens after challenge with the coccidial parasites Eimeria tenella and E. maxima. 2. There were large differences between lines in the effects of challenge on weight gain and mortality for both species of parasite. However, the lines suffering the greatest mortality were not those showing the greatest effects on weight gain, indicating that mortality alone is not an adequate criterion in selection for resistance. 3. Although oocyst production differed between lines there was no correlation with mortality or with weight loss, implying that the variation observed in these traits was not due to a restriction of the parasite but to an accommodation of its effects. 4. Mortality and weight loss resulting from challenge with E. tenella in the different lines did not correlate with that caused by E. maxima. 5. There was evidence of an association of genes of the major histocompatibility complex genes with mortality, but not with weight loss or oocyst production: there was no indication of association of resistance to coccidiosis with resistance to Marek's disease.     

Distribution of oocysts, sporocysts and sporozoites of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima in the digestive tract of chicken.

The distribution of oocysts, sporocysts and sporozoites of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima in the digestive tract of chicken and in excreta was investigated. At 1 h after the oral inoculation of E. tenella oocysts, the number of sporocysts in the cecum was 3.4 x 10(6) and decreased gradually thereafter, and the number of sporozoites in the cecum increased and remained at a high level until 12 h after the inoculation. Small numbers of sporocysts and sporozoites of E. tenella were found in other intestinal sites. A great number of E. maxima sporozoites was found, especially in the jejunum, 2 h after the inoculation. The findings that the largest populations of sporozoites of E. tenella and E. maxima were found in the cecum and the jejunum, respectively, indicate that the site specificity of sporozoite invasion for each species is determined before the invasion takes place.     

Eimeria tenella: stability of resistance to halofuginone, decoquinate and arprinocid in the chicken

The stability of experimentally induced resistance to halofuginone, decoquinate or arprinocid in lines of Eimeria tenella, was examined after 10 passages in unmedicated chickens. There was no loss of resistance to halofuginone or decoquinate. Resistance to arprinocid was unaffected in a line developed in the presence of 150 ppm of the drug but was unstable in a line developed with 60 ppm.     

青蒿素与柳氮磺吡啶对柔嫩艾美尔球虫感染的疗效观察

为了探讨青蒿素（artemisinin,ART）和柳氮磺吡啶（sulfasalazine,SASP）单独给药与联合给药对鸡球虫病的防治效果。试验选用50只1日龄黄羽肉鸡,正常饲养至1周龄时分为5组,2周龄时除空白组外,ART组、SASP组、ART＋SASP组和感染对照组分别以105个/羽的剂量接种柔嫩艾美尔球虫（Eimeria tenella,E.tenella）孢子化卵囊,各给药组于攻虫前3d开始给药至试验结束。试验结束后对各组的抗球虫指数（anticoccidial index,ACI）、卵囊的孢子化率、血清NO含量、脏器指数及血清生化指标等数据进行统计。结果表明,ART、SASP以及两者联合用药均能显著提高鸡群的ACI,并使卵囊的孢子化率降低,缓解了球虫感染所致的NO水平升高,且联合用药效果更明显。这提示ART与SASP联合应用在E.tenella感染的防治中具有增效作用。各组鸡群之间血清生化参数无显著性差异,说明该2种药物均无明显毒副作用。     

The extraintestinal stages of Eimeria tenella and E. maxima in the chicken

Donor chickens given feed medicated with one or two levels of decoquinate or given non-medicated feed were infected with oocysts of Eimeria tenella or E. maxima per os. Twelve hours after inoculation with oocysts liver, mid-intestine or ceca homogenates were fed to previously uninfected recipient chickens. The results showed that continuous medication with decoquinate was effective in preventing the transfer of sporozoites from the intestine to the liver. Oocysts were detected in the feces of all recipients of tissue from non-medicated donors, showing that some sporozoites of E. maxima and E. tenella are normally transferred to liver. Young broiler chickens were immunized by oral inoculation of E. maxima oocysts. The immune status of similar chickens inoculated with sporozoites of the same species directly into the liver or spleen were assessed. During the experimental period half of the chicks were provided with non-medicated food and the remainder were given feed supplemented with decoquinate; decoquinate was effective in arresting the development of the sporozoites. Two weeks after initial infection the birds were challenged with oocysts of E. maxima per os. Injection of sporozoites into the spleen did not protect against challenge. Birds inoculated with sporozoites into the liver were unable to develop a significant level of immunity. When the drug pressure was removed from these birds, parasitism of the intestine occurred and immunity developed.     

Eimeria tenella: development of resistance to arprinocid and decoquinate in the chicken

Resistance to arprinocid was developed in Eimeria tenella after seven serial passages in chickens given progressively greater concentrations of drug. Resistance to the quinolone decoquinate developed after eight passages. These results taken together with the observation that resistance to both drugs developed within a year of their introduction suggest that some indication of the likelihood of the emergence, in the field, of resistance to a given drug, may be obtained by comparing it with a standard reference drug in experimental studies.     

Ammonia, pH and volatile fatty acids in the bovine rumen after feeding with hay.

The effect of feeding level and interval between feedings on the fermentation pattern in the bovine rumen have been investigated in experiments with hay. The animals were completely adapted heifers fitted with rumen cannulas, and the parameters measured were ammonia, pH, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and non-glucogenic/glucogenic ratio (NGGR) in the VFA mixture.Increasing feeding levels, ranging from 2/3 to 4/3 of maintenance level, resulted in higher average concentrations of VFA and lower pH in the rumen fluid. Further the highest level of intake caused a considerable diurnal variation in the pH and the concentration of total VFA, and increased the variation in the molar composition of the VFA mixture.Three feeding intervals ranging from 8 to 16 hrs., with hay administered at maintenance level, caused no changes in the fermentation pattern.Typical variations in the concentrations of ammonia and valeric acid as related to time after feeding were demonstrated, but the concentrations of the branched-chain fatty acids in the rumen fluid were found to be quite constant.It may be concluded that a representative mean value of the parameters measured, except for ammonia and valeric acid, may be based on relatively few samples when feed intake does not exceed maintenance level, whereas sampling every hour is required at higher feeding levels.