Investigation of the Effect of Three Commercial Water Acidifiers on the Performance, Gut Health, and <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Colonization in Experimentally Challenged Broiler Chicks
Tilemachos Mantzios,
Vasilios Tsiouris,
Georgios A. Papadopoulos,
Vangelis Economou,
Evanthia Petridou,
Georgia D. Brellou,
Ilias Giannenas,
Costas G. Biliaderis,
Konstantinos Kiskinis,
Paschalis Fortomaris
Affiliations
Tilemachos Mantzios
Unit of Avian Medicine, Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 27 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasilios Tsiouris
Unit of Avian Medicine, Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 27 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios A. Papadopoulos
Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vangelis Economou
Laboratory of Food Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Evanthia Petridou
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgia D. Brellou
Laboratory of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 27 Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Giannenas
Laboratory of Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Costas G. Biliaderis
Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantinos Kiskinis
Unit of Avian Medicine, Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 546 27 Thessaloniki, Greece
Paschalis Fortomaris
Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
This study investigated the effect of three commercial water acidifiers on the performance, gut health, and C. jejuni colonization in experimentally challenged broiler chicks. A total of 192 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308®) were randomly allocated into 6 treatment groups with 4 replicates according to the following experimental design: group A, birds were not challenged and received tap water; group B, birds were challenged and received tap water; groups C, D, E, and F, birds were challenged and received tap water treated with 0.1% v/v SPECTRON®, with 0.1–0.2% v/v ProPhorce™ SA Exclusive, with 0.1–0.2% v/v Premium acid, and with 0.1–0.2% v/v Salgard® Liquid, respectively. The continuous water acidification evoked undesirable effects on broilers’ performance and to an increased number of birds with ulcers and erosions in the oral cavity and the upper esophageal area. ProPhorce™ SA Exclusive and Premium acid significantly reduced the C. jejuni counts in the crop, whereas Salgard® Liquid significantly reduced the C. jejuni counts in the ceca of birds. At slaughter age, only Premium acid significantly reduced C. jejuni counts in the ceca of birds. All the tested products ameliorated the changes induced by C. jejuni infection in the pH in the ceca of birds. It can be concluded that besides the effectiveness of the tested products in controlling C. jejuni in broilers, their continuous application evoked undesirable effects on broilers’ performance, leading to the need to modify the dosage scheme in future investigations.
