Impact of dietary supplementation with Echinacea purpurea on growth performance, immunological, biochemical, and pathological findings in broiler chickens infected by pathogenic E. coli.

Abstract

This study is aimed to appraise the impact ofdietary supplementation with Echinacea purpurea (EP) in broiler chickens infected by pathogenic E. coli. Eighty-one-day-old chicks of both sexes, commercial Hubbard chicks, were divided into 4 groups. The first was kept as normal control, the second wassupplemented by EP (5mg/kg feed) from the first day to the end, where thethird wasinfected orally by 1ml E. coli O78 at107CFU intra-crop at 7days old, while the last group wassupplemented by EP and infected by the E. coli O78as previously described . E. coli-infected chicks disclosed severe symptoms with mortality 30%. Where, the infected andEPsupplemented groupshowed less clinical symptoms and15% mortality. EP-supplemented groups showed a significant improvement in their body weight in comparing with infected group. E. coli-infected chickens revealed a significant drop in lymphocytes' number with a significant elevation in monocyte and heterophils with non-significant changes in total leucocyte count when matched with gp. (1), while the fourth grouprevealed non-significant changes in total leucocyte with a significant drop in heterophils and monocyte and a significant elevation in the lymphocytes matching with the 3rd group. Serum biochemical markers of liver, kidneys, and immunological parameters showed sever adverse alterations associated with E. coli infection. Dietary supplementations with Echinacea purpurea improve the final body weight and immune response of non-infected chicks and have a respectable effect for facing E. coli infection. EP improves hematological and serum biochemical adverse effects occured by E. coli infection. Histopathology of liver, kidneys, intestines, and spleen confirms these alterations.