article · Animals
Dietary supplementation with the probiotic bacterium Bacillus subtilis can counter the adverse effects of Salmonella infection in broiler chickens. An investigation evaluated six hundred day-old chicks across five dietary groups, comparing uninfected birds, untreated infected birds, and infected birds given either the antibiotic avilamycin or one of two specific strains of Bacillus subtilis. Broilers receiving the Bacillus subtilis strain ATCC PTA-6737 achieved greater feed intake and body weight than those treated with avilamycin. Furthermore, both probiotic strains yielded significantly superior feed conversion ratios relative to the other groups, alongside improved performance efficiency compared to the untreated infected controls. Intestinal structure also benefited, as birds given the ATCC strain showed the greatest villus height, whereas avilamycin produced greater villus width and surface area. Overall, probiotic supplementation supported bird growth and gut health during infection.
Salmonella infections in poultry reduce flock productivity and compromise gut health while creating challenges for food safety. Demonstrating that beneficial bacterial strains can protect intestinal architecture and sustain bird growth during active infection provides practical evidence for poultry producers and feed formulators seeking reliable nutritional strategies to maintain bird welfare and efficiency during disease challenges.
This research is of direct interest to poultry producers, feed additive manufacturers, and veterinary health companies. Because the findings derive from applied feeding trials using defined commercial strains and doses, the concept is relatively close to practical formulation. Moving to full commercialisation would require broader farm-scale validation, cost-effectiveness analyses against standard antimicrobial regimens, and compliance with local feed additive regulatory frameworks.
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A total of 600 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) confirmed for the absence of <i>Salmonella</i> were randomly allocated to five treatments each with 10 replicates: negative control (basal diet only); positive control (basal diet) + infected with <i>Salmonella</i>; T1, <i>Salmonella</i> infected + avilamycin; T2, <i>Salmonella</i> infected + <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> (ATCC PTA-6737; 2 × 10<sup>7</sup> CFU/g) and T3, <i>Salmonella</i> infected + <i>B. subtilis</i> (DSM 172999; 1.2 × 10<sup>6</sup> CFU/g). The results revealed that feed intake (FI) and body weight (BW) were significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) lower in T1 compared to T2. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) lower in T2 and T3 compared to other treatments. Similarly, the performance efficiency factor (PEF) was also significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) higher in T2 and T3 compared to positive control. Villus height was significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) higher in T2 compared to all other treatments. However, villus width and surface area were significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) higher in T1. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with <i>B. subtilis</i> improved growth and intestinal health by reversing the negative effects of Salmonellosis.
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DOI: 10.3390/ani9040190
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