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* Received: June 14, 2018 Revised: Aug 1, 2018 Accepted: Aug 2, 2018 Published Online: Aug 5, 2018
ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of the current study was to investigate the influence of probiotic Chrysonilia crassa in comparison with zinc bacitracin, commercial probiotic Bacillus subtilis, and herbal medicine waste on growth, intestinal microbiology, and blood indices of broilers.
Materials and methods: Three hundreds of Lohmann day-old chicks were allocated to control diet (basal diet; CONT), basal diet with antibiotic zinc bacitracin (AZB), basal diet with B. subtilis (PROB), basal diet with C. crassa (PROC), and basal diet with herbal medicine waste (HERBW). Sample collections were conducted on day 34 of the experiment.
Results: PROB showed greater (P<0.05) body weight than CONT chicks. Leukocytes and lymphocytes numbers were higher (P<0.05) in HERBW than in birds of other treatments. Compared to CONT and HERBW, PROC birds showed higher (P<0.05) level of vaccine titer to Newcastle disease virus. CONT had lower (P<0.05) and higher (P<0.05) total protein and globulin, and the ratio of albumin to globulin (A/G ratio) in serum, respectively, compared to other chicks. Higher level (P<0.05) of albumin was observed in PROB relative to CONT and PROC. Lower uric acid (P<0.05) was seen in PROC when compared with CONT and PROB. PROC had higher (P<0.05) aspartate aminotransferase than AGP, PROB, and HERBW. Ileal coliform was decreased (P<0.05) in PROB and PROC, relative to CONT and HERBW.
Conclusion: Probiotics were capable of improving the growth, immune responses, and intestinal bacterial populations of broilers. The effects of probiotics C. crassa corresponded to that of commercial probiotic B. subtilis and antibiotic growth promoters.
KEYWORDS
Antibiotic growth promoters; Broiler; Chrysonilia crassa; Growth; Health; Probiotic
INTRODUCTION
Antibiotics have long been included sub-therapeutically in diets as an antimicrobial agent as well as growth promoters in broiler production. The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) is, however, no longer permitted in most countries due to the concern about antimicrobial resistance both in birds and humans as consumers (Abudabos et al., 2017a). Indeed, there are some problems related to performances and health upon the removal of in-feed antibiotics in broiler production (Sugiharto, 2016). The health problems in poultry are often the result of the imbalance of microbial community in the gut, which may be...