The effect of mild coccidial vaccine challenge on apparent and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility in 21- and 42-d old broilers

The low level of EAA flow in birds could be attributed to several reasons. First, the presence of intestinal inflammation as a result of coccidial vaccine challenge could have negatively affected intestinal morphology, leading to a reduction in mucus secretion and mucus coverage of the wall of the intestine. Second, requirements for AA for immune functions might have resulted in increased demand for AA from ingested feed. Additionally, inflammation in the gut may result in a decrease in transit time (increased passage rate) of digesta, hence less time for digesta to be diluted by endogenous secretion