Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the therapeutic effects of berberine on necrotic enteritis (NE) in broilers caused by Clostridium perfringens. A total of 240 1-day-old Arbor Acres chicks were divided into four groups, as negative controls (NC), positive controls (PC), berberine- (BER-) treated, or lincomycin- (LMY-) treated groups. Broilers were challenged with C. perfringens at 15-21 days of age, followed by BER or LMY supplied in drinking water for 7 days. Experimental results showed that C. perfringens infection significantly decreased growth performance and increased intestinal necrosis index and the number of C. perfringens present to 6.45 Log10CFU/g (P < 0.001). Proinflammatory cytokines in the ileum were significantly increased, but the expression of ileal tight junction proteins occludin and claudin-1 was significantly reduced. Both BER and LMY ameliorated some of these observations. Compared with the PC group, the number of C. perfringens in the cecum was significantly decreased following treatment (P < 0.001), and growth performance and small intestine morphology were similar to those of the NC group (P > 0.05). IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels as well as occludin and claudin-1 expression were also significantly improved (P < 0.05). BER has the potential to replace antibiotics for NE caused by C. perfringens.
Highlights
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a serious enterotoxic disease of broiler chickens caused by Clostridium perfringens, costing up to 2 billion USD annually worldwide [1, 2]
Test groups included a negative control (NC) group, a positive control (PC) group challenged with C. perfringens, a BER- treated after challenged with C. perfringens group, and a LMY- treated after challenged with C. perfringens group
Prior to C. perfringens challenge (1-14 days), growth performance was similar between test groups (P > 0:05)
Summary
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a serious enterotoxic disease of broiler chickens caused by Clostridium perfringens, costing up to 2 billion USD annually worldwide [1, 2]. Broilers are susceptible to NE at 2–6 weeks of age and manifest both clinical (acute) and subclinical (chronic) symptoms. Acute disease causes high mortality at 3–4 weeks of age, and chronic conditions can lead to reduced body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency. Reduced productivity due to subclinical symptoms is often difficult to detect, but up to 40% of commercial broilers may be affected by subclinical NE [3]. The etiology of NE includes Clostridium perfringens, nutrition, stress, and coccidiosis, of which Clostridium perfringens is the main factor [4].
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