Effects of a dietary direct-fed microbial and Ferulago angulata extract on growth performance, intestinal microflora, and immune function of broiler chickens infected with Campylobacter jejuni

Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by potentially pathogenic bacteria and their shedding in animal feces is a fundamental factor for both animal health and human food safety. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of salinomycin (Sal), direct-fed microbial (DFM), and Ferulago angulata hydroalcoholic extract (FAE) against Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chickens in a 6-week pilot-scale study. A total of six hundred and seventy two 1-day-old broiler chickens were equally divided into 6 groups (each consisting of 8 replicates of 14 birds): negative control (NC; untreated and uninfected); positive control (PC; untreated, infected with C. jejuni); PC + Sal; PC + DFM; PC + 200 mg/kg of FAE (FAE200); or PC + 400 mg/kg of FAE (FAE400). All these groups (except NC) were challenged with C. jejuni on day 15. The results showed that all experimental treatments improved (P < 0.05) average daily gain compared with the PC group, and the best value was observed in the NC and FAE400 groups throughout the entire experimental period (day 1–42). The overall feed conversion ratio and mortality rate, as well as the population of C. jejuni (day 24 and 42) and Coliforms (day 42) in the ileum and cecum, were higher (P < 0.05) in broiler chickens fed with the PC diet than for chickens in the other groups, except those in the FAE200 group. Immune responses revealed that among challenged birds, those that were fed diets DFM and FAE400 had significantly higher IgG (day 24 and 42), IgA (day 24), IL-6 (day 24), and gamma interferon (day 24 and 42) concentrations than the PC group. In conclusion, dietary FAE, especially at a high level of inclusion in broiler diet (400 mg/kg), could beneficially influence the immune status, as well as improve growth performance and intestinal microflora under Campylobacter challenge, which was comparable to those of Sal and DFM supplements.