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Abstract
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an enteric disease caused by a toxigenic strain of Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium perfringens. Through the years, in-feed, sub-therapeutic antibiotics (IFA) were used as an effective tool to maintain the health of broilers during an NE challenge. However, the industry has shifted to “no antibiotic ever” or “no antibiotics used in human medicine” practices. With the removal of IFAs, there has been an increase in the incidence of NE, highlighting a need for alternative strategies to reduce its prevalence. Although many alternatives are being researched, there remains uncertainty about their effectiveness during an NE challenge. As a result, scientists are investigating options such as phytogenic blends or algal feed additives as a safe and effective alternative to NE. In a series of experiments, the effect of various phytogenic blends or algal feed supplements were tested during an NE challenge to observe the potential mechanism of these products in broilers. During the 42-day trials, the evaluated products positively impacted broilers challenged with NE models. Improvements were observed in daily body weight gains and reduction in feed conversion ratios (FCR). In all experiments, the additive groups significantly reduced lesion scores and mortality. The jejunum was collected to observe the differential expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins compared to broilers with no additive. Supplementation of all additives reduced NE lesion scores, reduced mortality, and improved performance parameters, like FCR. There was also a modulation in mRNA abundance of various tight junction proteins like claudin 1, 3, and occludin. Various inflammatory cytokines (IFNγ, TNFα, and IL-1β) decreased in treated groups. The current findings further support the potential of phytogenic blends and algal feed supplements in NE models to reduce pathogen invasion and enhance broiler’s ability to counteract the adverse effect of NE. Collectively, the data indicates during an NE challenge, the use of phytogenic feed additives or algal feed supplementation could be promising strategies for mitigating the impact of this enteric disease.