A broiler chronic gut inflammation model under real farming conditions and the alleviation of its negative consequences with an in-feed technology

Compromised intestinal health in modern production has been linked with chronic inflammation and significant economic losses. Although several challenges are artificially introduced in recent poultry models of gut failure/dysbiosis, the ‘too clean’ experimental conditions oppose a major limitation. Here we evaluated (1) a model of chronic gut inflammation under real farming conditions using, as a trigger, high non-starch polysaccharides (without NSPases), and (2) the ability of an in-feed technology (Lumance Innovad: esterified butyrate with plant extracts and essential oils) to alleviate inflammatory responses in broilers. In experiment 1, the high NSP (60% wheat + 5% rye) significantly increased macroscopic morphometric “dysbacteriosis” both at d 21 and d 28 over a standard diet (50% corn + 30% soy) (P < 0.005; 1 bird per pen scored, n = 8 pens/group; n = 30 birds/pen), evaluated according to Teirlynck et al. (2011). In experiment 2, a heatwave elevated the mean temperature to ~32°C for ~12–14 h/d inside the production between d 21 and d 29. Interestingly, although both intestinal and systemic oxidative stress (measured as MDA) in the high NSP diet reduced by ~30% between d 28 and d 35, both inflammatory (IFN-γ) and immune (IgA) responses increased significantly (~33 and 40%, respectively) suggesting a cumulative impact over time. Importantly, Lumance (1 and 2 kg/ton) significantly increased the BW at the end of the life cycle (d 35) over the high-NSP (P= 0.041) and reduced the FCR (P = 0.012) (n = 8 pens/group; n = 30 birds/pen). Also, Lumance reduced, in a dose response manner, both intestinal and systemic MDA at d 28 (P < 0.05), intestinal IFN-γ at d 28 and d 35 (P < 0.05) and numerically both intestinal and systemic IgA at d 28 and d 35. In conclusion, we have successfully established a novel, dietary-induced model of chronic gut inflammation under real farming conditions, which can be seen as the sum of several stress points and evaluated the ability of an in-feed technology (Lumance Innovad) to alleviate its inflammatory responses in broilers.

Key Words: gut health, chronic inflammation model, real farming condition, biomarker, feed additive.

Presented at the 9th Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals, St. Louis, USA, 2021. For information on the next edition, click here.