U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Announcements
                        ABBL Journal Club
                    USDA Civil Rights Policy StatementSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            LEE, K - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)item
                                            Lillehoj, Hyunitem
                                            Lee, Sungitem
                                            JANG, S - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)item
                                            PARK, M - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)item
                                            BAUTISTA, D - University Of Delawareitem
                                            RITTER, G - Mountaire Farms, Incitem
                                            LILLEHOJ, E - University Of Maryland
  Submitted to: Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/2014
                                    Publication  Date: 6/1/2014
                                    Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/58954Citation: Lee, K.W., Lillehoj, H.S., Lee, S.H., Jang, S.I., Park, M.S., Bautista, D.A., Ritter, G.D., Lillehoj, E.P. 2014. Effect of dietary antimicrobials on immune status in broiler chickens. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences. 25(3):382-92. doi: 10.5713/ajas.2011.11259.Interpretive Summary: Gut bacteria provides beneficial effects towards poultry health by influencing various aspects of their immune cells. There is increasing scientific evidence to show how the management style and the farm environment where commercial chickens are raised affect the gut bacteria population.  Furthermore, drugs that have been commonly used to control parasitic infections have also been shown to influence gut bacterial population. In this study, ARS scientists collaborated with farm veterinarians to investigate the effect of the combination of different drugs on the developing poultry immune system.  The results showed that the type of drugs that are being used in disease control can have different effects on the developing gut immune system and poultry immune response to pathogens. This finding will help field veterinarians develop effective management strategies to reduce economic loss in the poultry industry due to disease.
                                Technical Abstract: The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary antimicrobials (anticoccidials plus antibiotic growth promoters) on the development of post-hatch immune systems in commercial broiler chickens. One hundred and five day-old broiler chicks were raised on the used litter and provided non-medicated (NONE) diet or medicated diets with either diclazuril (DECX) or monensin (COBN), in combination with bacitracin methylene disalicylate and roxarsone. Immune parameters examined included concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated splenocyte proliferation, intestine intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and splenic lymphocyte subpopulations, and cytokine mRNA transcripts in intestine mucosa and spleen. It was found that ConA-stimulated proliferation was low in DECX group at day 14, but high in COBN group at days 25 and 43, compared with the NONE group. Of note, dietary antimicrobials altered the percentages of various immune cells subpopulations expressing macrophages, B cells, and T cell subsets in IELs and spleen, and the levels of cytokine mRNA transcripts in intestine and spleen, compared with the non-medicated control group. It is clear from this study that coccidiosis control programs in combination with antibiotic growth promoters can modulate the development of post-hatch immune systems of commercial broiler chickens raised on the used litter.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov