Alharbi Khawla, Dang Trieu Do Anh, Alqahtani Abdulaziz, Perera Ruvindu, Thomas Alexa, Meuter Antoine, Alrubaye Adnan Ali Khalaf
Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 15;15(12):1765. doi: 10.3390/ani15121765.
Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a major cause of lameness in broiler chickens. This condition arises when bacteria from the gastrointestinal or aerosol tract migrate to infect bone microfractures, often exacerbated by rapid growth, reduced blood flow, and mechanical stress. As concerns about antibiotic resistance grow, probiotics have gained attention for their potential to improve gut health and reduce systemic bacterial load. This study evaluated the efficacy of a probiotic program comprising an -based spray (2 × 10 CFU/bird at hatch) and a triple-strain Bacillus-based feed additive ( 597, 600, and 516 at 500 g/t feed from day 1 to 56), applied individually or in combination. A wire-flooring challenge model was used to simulate BCO transmission. A total of 1560 Cobb 500 broilers were randomly assigned to five groups: T1 (positive control), T2 (negative control), T3 ( spray only), T4 (Bacillus feed supplement only), and T5 (combined treatment). Lameness was evaluated daily from day 21 to 56 through clinical observation and necropsy. The challenge model was validated with >70% lameness in T1. All probiotic treatments significantly reduced lameness compared to T2 ( < 0.05): 35.4% in T3, 36.7% in T4, and 47.6% in T5. The combined treatment resulted in the statistically highest reduction in lameness incidence, indicating a synergistic rather than merely additive effect compared to individual treatments. These findings support the use of targeted probiotic strategies to reduce BCO lameness and enhance skeletal health and welfare in broilers.
细菌性软骨坏死伴骨髓炎（BCO）是肉鸡跛行的主要原因。当来自胃肠道或气溶胶途径的细菌迁移至感染骨微骨折时，就会引发这种病症，而快速生长、血流减少和机械应激往往会加剧病情。随着对抗生素耐药性的担忧日益增加，益生菌因其改善肠道健康和降低全身细菌载量的潜力而受到关注。本研究评估了一种益生菌方案的效果，该方案包括一种基于喷雾的产品（孵化时每只鸡2×10 CFU）和一种基于芽孢杆菌的三联菌株饲料添加剂（从第1天到第56天，每吨饲料添加500克，含菌株597、600和516），单独使用或联合使用。采用金属网地板攻毒模型来模拟BCO的传播。总共1560只科宝500肉鸡被随机分为五组：T1（阳性对照）、T2（阴性对照）、T3（仅使用喷雾产品）、T4（仅使用芽孢杆菌饲料添加剂）和T5（联合处理）。从第21天到第56天，通过临床观察和尸检每日评估跛行情况。T1组跛行率>70%，验证了攻毒模型的有效性。与T2组相比（P<0.05），所有益生菌处理均显著降低了跛行率：T3组为35.4%，T4组为36.7%，T5组为47.6%。联合处理导致跛行发生率在统计学上降低幅度最大，表明与单独处理相比具有协同而非仅仅是相加的效果。这些发现支持使用有针对性的益生菌策略来降低BCO导致的跛行，提高肉鸡的骨骼健康和福利水平。
