The Beneficial Effects of Components of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in the Poultry Industry

Plant-based antimicrobial agents are readily available, cost-effective, and exhibit low toxicity, making them promising alternatives in combatting microbial infections. Among these plants, garlic (Allium sativum) stands out for its traditional medicinal use in effectively combating various microorganisms. In the poultry industry, preventing avian virus and bacterial infections is paramount for chicken husbandry. However, using conventional drugs poses potential risks to human health. Garlic, a widely used Asian plant in traditional medicine for various pathologies, has shown potential as an herbal prophylactic remedy against viral and bacterial infections. Recently, researchers explored garlic and its derivatives as a scientific strategy in veterinary practices for diverse purposes, such as improving poultry production characteristics and acting as antibiotic growth promoters. This comprehensive review delves into garlic and its derivatives as preventive and corrective treatments for viral diseases in laying hens and broilers. The paper highlights their potential effectiveness and safety as a natural means to enhance poultry health and welfare while mitigating the risks associated with conventional drug usage in the food industry.

Essential Oils as an Alternative to Antibiotics to Reduce the Incidence and Severity of Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler Chickens: A Short Review

Due to the removal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) and consumer pressure for antibiotic-free (ABF) or no antibiotics ever (NAE) poultry production, there is a need for sustainable alternatives to prevent disease in commercial poultry operations. Without AGPs, there has been a rise in diseases that were traditionally controlled by subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics in the diet. This has impacted the health of commercial poultry and has been a significant cost to poultry producers. To mitigate this, the industry has started to investigate alternatives to antibiotics to treat these forthcoming health issues, such as necrotic enteritis (NE). NE is an enteric disease caused by an over proliferation of toxigenic Clostridium perfringens (CP) in the gastrointestinal tract. Although CP is a commensal in the avian intestinal tract, dysbiosis caused by inflammation and impaired intestinal integrity facilitates uncontrolled replication of CP. Infectious agents, such as Eimeria maxima, appear to be a predominant predisposing factor that promotes NE. However, non-infectious stressors, including dietary changes, have also been associated with NE to some degree. As a result of increased pressure to restrict the use of antibiotics, there is a need for research evaluating the efficacy of alternatives, such as plant-derived essential oils, as potential tools to mitigate NE in commercial poultry flocks. The aim of this study is to review the effects of essential oils as an alternative to antibiotics to reduce the incidence and severity of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens.

Isolation and Progeny Transmission of Non-Temperature-Sensitive MS-H Vaccine Strains of Mycoplasma synoviae from Temperature-Sensitive MS-H-Vaccinated Laying Breeder Hens

This pilot study reports the vertical transmission and reverse thermosensitivity of the MS-H vaccine strain of Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) by RAPD in commercial breeders and their progeny. At two weeks of age, breeders were vaccinated with the ts+ MS-H strain. At 9 weeks of age, an outbreak of infectious synovitis (IS) was detected in the progeny. Tracheal swab samples were collected from breeders at 24, 39, 48, and 70 weeks of age. At 9 weeks, pullets swab from the elbow joints were collected. RAPD was performed on the isolates at 39.5°C, and the same ts- MS-H strains were identified in the breeder hens and their progeny. Tracheal swabs from breeder hens were negative to MS isolation at 37°C and 39.5°C at 24- and 39-weeks. MS isolation was recovered from tracheal swabs from 9/10 and 10/10 breeders at 48- and 70- week. At 9 weeks of age in the progeny, MS was isolated from tracheal swabs of 10/10 from non-IS pullets. MS was isolated from 9/10 joints samples. The isolates from breeder hens and their progeny showed non-significant differences in five antimycoplasmic MIC100 values;otherwise, enrofloxacin presented a significant difference in MIC100 value (p < 0.05). This investigation demonstrated the reversal of the thermosensitivity, pathogenicity, and vertical transmission of the MS-H strain. Consequently, it is crucial to contemplate the danger of reversing pathogenicity and transmission to progeny when applying the MS-H vaccine strain.