Efficacy of a Dietary Polyherbal Formula on the Performance and Gut Health in Broiler Chicks after Experimental Infection with spp.

One-hundred and fifty, one-day-old Ross-308 female chicks were randomly allocated to five equal treatments: NCONTR negative control-not challenged; PCONTR positive control-challenged; PHERB1 and PHERB2 diets were supplemented with phytogenic formula (1 and 2 g/kg feed, respectively)-challenged; PSALIN diet was supplemented with salinomycin (60 mg/kg feed)-challenged. Challenge was made by oral inoculation with 3.5 × 10 , 7.0 × 10 and 5.0 × 10 oocysts, at 14 days of age. One week post inoculation, bloody diarrhea, oocysts numbers, and intestinal lesions were evaluated, along with intestinal microbiota, viscosity, and pH of digesta, and histopathology. PHERB2 had a comparable ( ≤ 0.001) growth performance and feed conversion ratio to PSALIN. PHERB1 and PHERB2 had similar ( ≤ 0.001) oocyst counts to PSALIN and lower than PCONTROL. PHERB2 and PSALIN had lower ( ≤ 0.001) jejunal, ileal, and cecal lesion scores compared to PCONTR. PHERB1 and PHERB2 had higher ( ≤ 0.001) jejunal and cecal lactobacilli and lower ( ≤ 0.001) coliform counts compared to other treatments. PCONTR had lower ( ≤ 0.001) jejunum villus height, height to crypt ratio, and villus goblet cells. Breast and thigh meat resistance to oxidation was improved ( ≤ 0.001) in PHERB1 and PHERB2 compared to the PCONTR. The polyherbal formula exerted a substantial improvement on growth performance and intestinal health of the -challenged birds.