Effect of a Synbiotic Mix on Lymphoid Organs of Broilers Infected with Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The use of synbiotics in the poultry industry could be a tool to regulate immunological activity and generate beneficial effects against pathogens, like Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens, particularly in those cases where the use of antibiotics during poultry production was excluded. Either through the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that contribute to mucosa proliferation or promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, synbiotics could favor a microenvironment that improves the activity of the immune system. However, the organization and response of lymphocytes in lymphoid tissues could be modified by the type of active compound of the synbiotic. Therefore, the present work investigated the effect of a synbiotic mix on lymphoid tissues of broilers infected with Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens. The results showed that the mix of probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5Ma and a prebiotic can stimulate the bursa and the IgA production, increasing the size of its follicles and promoting the ability to resist infections caused by S. typhimurium in broilers. ABSTRACT: Synbiotic consumption can modulate immune response. This work involves studying the effect of a synbiotic on lymphoid organs and IgA of broilers infected with Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens. A total of 258 one-day-old male broilers (Gallus gallus domesticus), line COBBAvian48 (free of growth-promoting antibiotics), were distributed into eight treatment groups. A symbiotic mix comprising Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5 M as probiotics and 4.5% (0.045 g g(−1)) of Agave tequilana fructans as prebiotic per dose (one milliliter) was administered through drinking water the first day of life. Bursa, spleen and thymus were analyzed. Broilers treated with the synbiotic, whether or not infected with pathogens, had bigger bursa follicles than the non-treated (p < 0.05), and the ones from the synbiotic group had more lymphocytes than the control group (p < 0.05). Thymus follicles of the synbiotic group were bigger than the control group (p < 0.05). Lesions associated with Salmonella infection were found in the bursa, however, in the broilers treated with the synbiotic, the lesions were less intense and were not present after 32 days of life. The synbiotic mix can stimulate the bursa, increasing the size of their follicles and promoting the ability to resist infections caused by S. typhimurium in broilers.