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The incidence of enteric infections in broiler chickens may increase worldwide due to mounting pressure to limit the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics and ionophores for coccidia suppression/prevention in the diets of broilers. For this reason, we need expand our knowledge on the role that micro-minerals have in modulating the intestinal physiology, immunology, and microbiology of broiler chickens. There are issues associated with the use of high doses of some micro-minerals in the diets of animals, such as environmental contamination, bacterial resistance, and gizzard erosion. Therefore, there is a need to maximize the absorption of these minerals by the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of birds when intestinal function may be compromised. Zinc is an essential micromineral required for growth, and influences intestinal development and/or regeneration during and after enteric disease. Two studies were conducted by our lab to determine the effects of Zn source in broilers under coccidia and challenge. In the first study, Zn proteinate had beneficial effects on the performance of chickens challenged with coccidia plus by enhancing intestinal integrity and partially attenuating the inflammatory response. In the second study, Zn proteinate lowered the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and modulated the ileal microbiota. Additionally, the poultry industry has used prophylactic concentrations of dietary Cu for its ability to improve feed conversion for a long time. Copper absorption occurs mainly in the duodenum of chickens and, therefore, injuries to the intestinal epithelium of duodenum would impair Cu absorption and decrease its tissue concentration. Although there is a lack of studies relating Mn supplementation and its different sources on the immune response against coccidiosis in poultry, it is likely that Mn is beneficial during enteric challenges due to its role in the production of mucopolysaccharides. Therefore, the proper evaluation of the role of minerals on mitigating the negative impact of coccidiosis in broilers must consider their properties in modulating the physiology, immunology, and the intestinal microbiota of the host during health and disease situation events.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 (probiotic) on the performance and intestinal microbiota of broiler chickens infected with Clostridium perfringens (CP). One-day-old broiler chickens were assigned to 3 treatments with 8 replicate pens (50 birds/pen). The treatments were: non-infected control; infected control; and infected supplemented with probiotic (1 × 106 CFU/g of feed). On day of hatch, all birds were sprayed with a coccidia vaccine based on the manufacturer recommended dosage. On d 18–20 the infected birds were inoculated with CP via feed. Necrotic enteritis (NE) lesion score was performed on d 21. Digestive tract of 2 birds/pen was collected on d 21 to analyze the ileal and cecal microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing. Performance was evaluated on d 28 and 42. On d 21, probiotic supplementation reduced (p < 0.001) the severity of NE related lesion versus infected control birds. On d 28, feed efficiency was improved (p < 0.001) in birds supplemented with probiotic versus infected control birds. On d 42, body weight gain (BW gain) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were improved (p < 0.001) in probiotic supplemented birds versus infected control birds. The diversity, composition and predictive function of the intestinal microbial digesta changed with the infection but the supplementation of probiotic reduced these variations. Therefore, dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 was beneficial in attenuating the negative effects of CP challenge on the performance and intestinal microbiota of broilers chickens.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of protected sodium butyrate (SB), and protected sodium butyrate plus essential oils (carvacrol and ginger; SBEO) on the cecal microbiota of broilers challenged with Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens . Birds were assigned to 4 treatments (8 replicates pens of 58 birds/pen): unchallenged control; challenged control; challenged and supplemented with SB; challenged and supplemented with SBEO. On d 13, challenged birds were orally inoculated with ~5,000 Eimeria maxima oocysts. On d 18–19, the same birds were exposed to Clostridium perfringens via drinking water (~8 log CFU/ml). Cecal excreta was collected at d 12, 18, 21, and 28 for microbiota analysis through 16s rRNA sequencing using Illumina MiSeq platform and analyzed using QIIME v. 1.9.1 The cecal microbiota was analyzed over time within each experimental group. The inclusion of SB alone or in combination with EO contributed to larger variations in the cecal microbiota over time than the unsupplemented treatments, as shown by the diversity indices. The community structure and abundance of the cecal microbiota were significantly different across ages, especially in the groups supplemented with SB and SBEO. As shown in the PCoA analysis, the supplementation of SB led to a more stable microbial community and lower between-sample variability over time. In the unchallenged control birds, Ruminococcus decreased ( p = 0.006), whereas Bacteroides and Clostridiales increased ( p ≤ 0.02) as the birds aged. In the challenged control group, however, the frequency of Coprococcus and Blautia decreased as birds aged ( p ≤ 0.01), and, Clostridiales did not increase. Supplementation of SB, but not SBEO, increased the frequency of Lactobacillus ( p = 0.01) on d 12 compared to d 18 and d 28, and prevented the reduction in the frequency of Blautia as the birds aged. Nevertheless, supplementation of SB and SBEO contributed to unique changes in the predicted functions of the cecal microbiota over time, which was not observed in the unsupplemented birds. SB and SBEO modulated the diversity, composition, and predictive function of the cecal microbiota which may have lowered the negative impact of necrotic enteritis (NE).

To gain insight into how the age of the hen affects selected reproductive characteristics and subsequent embryonic and posthatching development, experiments were conducted to study: (1) hormonal and initial egg production characteristics as influenced by hen age and age at photostimulation; (2) changes in egg component distribution associated growth; with hen age; (3) effects of hen age on yolk sac lipid mobilization and embryonic growth; (4) hen age effects on post-hatch metabolic homeostasis and intestinal development. Reproductive experiments were conducted with the commercial turkey, whereas embryonic and posthatching experiments were conducted with both the commercial turkey and Pekin duckling as experimental subjects. The results of our initial research demonstrated that embryos from young hens developed more slowly than embryos from older hens during the last week of incubation. We hypothesized that these developmental differences are in part due to a proportional increase in yolk mass in eggs from older hens which allows for a greater mass transfer of yolk lipid to the embryo during the last week of incubation. Hypothetically, developmental differences during incubation may be related to problems that occur during the acclimation period after hatchlings come from very young hens. In testing this hypothesis, a metabolic challenge was imposed and intestinal development were measured in hatchlings from different hen production ages. The metabolic challenge was tested with a glucose tolerance assay and intestinal development was evaluated by measuring gross intestinal growth (weight and length) during the first week after hatching. Poults and ducklings from young hens remained hyperglycemic longer when given a glucose challenge, suggesting an early impairment in gluocse regulation. Hen production age did not consistently influence poult or duckling weight or length measures of the small intestine after hatching. As weight and length measures are relatively gross measures, final experiments studied the relationship between hen age, poult villus growth and enterocyte proliferation and migration during the first week after hatching. Enterocyte migration was determined after the labeling of proliferating enterocytes with a thymidine analog, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and subsequent immunostaining for BrdU. Poults from the older hens had significantly longer villi and BrdU labeled enterocyte height at hatch, but not after placement. Even though intestinal. villi may have been more developed in Poults from the older hens at hatch, post-hatching growth of the intestinal system or the poult was not affected. Age-related changes in enterocyte proliferation support the theory that changes in enterocyte function occur due to an accumulation of cells rather than to enterocyte turnover rates. In a final study, comparisons were made between the duckling and turkey poult to determine if rates of small intestine development contributed to marked growth differences between the two species during the first week after hatching. By 7 days of age, the duckling's jejunum and ileum were 3.7X heavier, 1.6X longer, and 2.3X more dense (g/cm) and villi were 2.4X longer than in the turkey poult. This phenomenal growth difference aided the duckling in achieving a body weight nearly twice that of the poult during this initial 7 day growth period.

Introduction To determine the aqueous humor (AH) exposure to travoprost free acid (TFA) and the in vivo elution rate of travoprost over a 24-month period in subjects with open-angle glaucoma administered a travoprost intracameral implant, 75 µg. Methods In this prospective, single-center, open-label study, 210 subjects (7 cohorts of 30 subjects each) were administered a travoprost intracameral implant and followed for 3–24 months. At pre-determined timepoints (3, 6, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months), AH was collected, a new implant was administered, and the prior implant removed. AH samples were assayed for TFA concentrations using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Explants were analyzed for remaining travoprost using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method. Results Mean AH concentrations of TFA were 5.0, 3.7, 5.6, 2.0, 2.2, 3.8, and 3.3 ng/mL at 3, 6, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months, respectively, post-administration. Mean percent travoprost remaining in explants was approximately 79%, 70%, 50%, 39%, 35%, 28%, and 16% at 3, 6, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months, respectively, post-administration. Conclusions Concentrations of TFA in AH through month 24 were above the established efficacious concentration of 0.1 ng/mL for intracameral implants, indicating that adequate TFA levels were achieved to elicit maximal intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy, and supported by low levels of IOP in subjects through 24 months. The remaining dose of travoprost in explants at 24 months (i.e., 16%) indicates the potential for efficacious drug delivery beyond 2 years. Trial Registration Number Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT06582732 (31 August 2024: retrospectively registered).