Rysman Katrien, Eeckhaut Venessa, Ducatelle Richard, Goossens Evy, Van Immerseel Filip
Livestock gut health team (LiGHT) Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Avian Pathol. 2023 Aug;52(4):232-241. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2023.2201169. Epub 2023 May 3.
Maintaining optimal gut health is a key driver for a well-performing broiler flock. Histology of intestinal sections and quantification of villus structure can be used to evaluate gut health. While these measurements have been used in experimental models to evaluate gut health, less is known about the associations of these parameters with performance in commercial broiler farms. The objective of the present study was to evaluate possible associations of intestinal villus structure and the inflammatory condition of the gut with Ross 308 broiler performance in 50 commercial farms. On day 28 of the production round, 20 randomly selected broilers per farm were weighed, euthanized, and a duodenal section was collected to determine villus length, crypt depth and the CD3 T-lymphocytes area percentage (CD3 %). We found a relatively low coefficient of variance (CV) for the villus length (between farms; 9.67%, within farms; 15.97%), while the CD3 (%) had a high CV (between farms; 29.78%, within farms; 25.55%). At flock level, the CD3 (%) was significantly correlated with the villus length ( = -0.334), crypt depth ( = 0.523) and the villus-to-crypt ratio ( = -0.480). The crypt depth was significantly correlated with the European production index (EPI) ( = -0.450) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) ( = 0.389). At broiler level, a significant association was found between the individual body weight (day 28), CD3 (%) and villus-to-crypt ratio. These data thus show that gut villus structure is significantly associated with bird performance under commercial conditions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSGut histology parameters vary between and within farms.Broiler performance is associated with gut morphology.
维持最佳肠道健康是肉鸡群良好生长性能的关键驱动因素。肠道切片的组织学检查和绒毛结构定量可用于评估肠道健康。虽然这些测量方法已在实验模型中用于评估肠道健康,但对于这些参数与商业肉鸡场生产性能之间的关联了解较少。本研究的目的是评估50个商业农场中罗斯308肉鸡的肠道绒毛结构和肠道炎症状况与生产性能之间的可能关联。在生产周期的第28天,每个农场随机选取20只肉鸡称重、安乐死,并采集十二指肠切片以测定绒毛长度、隐窝深度和CD3 T淋巴细胞面积百分比(CD3%)。我们发现绒毛长度的变异系数(CV)相对较低(农场间;9.67%,农场内;15.97%),而CD3(%)的CV较高(农场间;29.78%,农场内;25.55%)。在鸡群水平上,CD3(%)与绒毛长度(=-0.334)、隐窝深度(=0.523)和绒毛与隐窝比值(=-0.480)显著相关。隐窝深度与欧洲生产指数(EPI)(=-0.450)和饲料转化率(FCR)(=0.389)显著相关。在肉鸡个体水平上,发现个体体重(第28天)、CD3(%)和绒毛与隐窝比值之间存在显著关联。因此,这些数据表明,在商业条件下,肠道绒毛结构与鸡的生产性能显著相关。 研究亮点 农场间和农场内肠道组织学参数存在差异。 肉鸡生产性能与肠道形态相关。
J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2009-10