Chicken Blood Research Articles

Parasiticidal Properties of Nanoemulsion-Based Plant Essential Oil Formulations for Controlling Poultry Ectoparasites in Farm Conditions

Nanoemulsion-based plant essential oil formulations (NEOFs) have shown remarkable parasiticidal properties in laboratory settings, suggesting the potential for practical farm applications. This study investigates the efficacy of NEOFs—comprising clove and cinnamon essential oils (EOs)—in controlling poultry ectoparasites under real farm conditions. We evaluated the impact of NEOFs on ectoparasite populations, egg-laying performance, egg quality, leukocyte profiles in chicken blood, and potential insecticide residues in eggs. Conducted across various poultry farms, the results revealed that NEOFs achieved an over 95% ectoparasite eradication after two treatments, compared to significantly higher ectoparasite populations in untreated control groups. Egg production was notably higher in NEOF-treated flocks, and the feed conversion ratio was improved. No significant differences in leukocyte profiles were observed between the treated and control groups. In contrast, cypermethrin residues were detectable in eggs for more than eight weeks post-treatment. NEOFs achieved an over 97% ectoparasite extermination within seven days post-treatment, with farmer satisfaction averaging 4.83 out of 5.00. These findings position NEOFs as a highly effective, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides for managing poultry ectoparasites, offering a viable solution for sustainable poultry farming.

Sex Chromatin in New Hampshire Cocks

Sex chromatin (SC) is defined as inactive X chromosome in the female somatic cells, it condensed as heterochromatic at interphase of the nucleus and appears like nuclear satellite projection, and only female cells contain SC in mammals. Different ages of cocks: immature (8,16 weeks old), growing (24 weeks old) and production age (32,48 weeks old) , were studied to detect the sex chromatin (SC) with it's various shapes :Sessile nodule(SS), Drum stick(DS), Tear drop(TD) and Club shape(CS) in the blood lymphocytes of blood smears prepared from WBCs of 45 New Hampshire(NH) strain cocks. Also SC measurements were detected which include: vertical (V) and horizontal (H) axes, SC area (SCA), nuclear area (NA), and the ratio(R) between these two areas. . Results show that SC is present in the male chicken blood lymphocytes in all ages. There is no significant difference in the incidence of the SC or its various measurements between ages, but the vertical axis was recorded a significant (P

Influence of Injecting Hatching Eggs with Local Iraqi Chickens Blood Plasma on Hatching Traits and Immune Parameters

Influence of Injecting Hatching Eggs with Local Iraqi Chickens Blood Plasma on Hatching Traits and Immune Parameters

Evidence of Human-designated Antiretroviral (ARV) Drug Residues in Broiler Chicken, Domestic Pigs, and Animal Feeds in Tanzania.

Recent reports have indicated the use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to boost animal production in neighboring Uganda, with further reports of use in several African countries. This cross-sectional study was conducted in nine districts in Tanzania, and involved screening for the presence of three first-line ARVs (lamivudine, nevirapine, and efavirenz) residues in the muscle and blood of domestic pigs and broiler chickens, and in sampled animal feed and water. Residues were determined using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method involved calibration of the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) and limit of detection (LOD). ARVs were detected and quantified using the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) system. 131 (66.8%) of the 196 samples of muscle, blood, and animal feed were found to contain lamivudine residues, with the highest concentration detected in domestic pig blood and muscle (7.58mg/kg) and the lowest concentration (0.01 mg/kg) in broiler chicken feed. There was a significant relationship between the presence of lamivudine by sample type and sample origin (p=0.000). Nevirapine and efavirenz drugs were not detected in any of the collected samples. No ARV residues were detected in water samples (n=37). This study confirms the use of ARVs in animal production in Tanzania as evidenced by the presence of residues in animal feeds. We found lamivudine residues in domestic pigs and broiler chickens at concentrations higher than those recently reported in other East African studies. Farmers living with HIV may be using ARVs from their prescribed medications, which may lead to poor adherence and the emergence of drug resistance. Besides direct human and animal health issues, these residues in animal feeds and animal excreta can lead to environmental contamination leading to several negative impacts. We recommend a total ban on human-designated ARVs in animal production and advocate for comprehensive studies and monitoring systems across African countries to reveal potential societal and other reasons for their use and provide comprehensive solutions using One Health approaches.

A mixed animal and plant protein source replacing fishmeal affects bile acid metabolism and apoptosis in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

Chicken meal, shrimp meal, blood meal, and soybean protein concentrate (SPC) are common alternatives to fishmeal. This study used them to prepare three diets with different levels of fishmeal (FM48, FM40, FM32) for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The results found no significant difference in the growth performance of largemouth bass fed different diets. Mixed protein increased the total cholesterol (T-CHO) content in plasma, and reduced the total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in plasma and liver. Targeted metabolomics analysis found that the low fishmeal diets affected the cholesterol and bile acid metabolism of largemouth bass. Mixed protein inhibited cyp7a1 and enhanced hmgcr and pparγ mRNA levels, as well as enhanced the expression levels of FXR in the liver. The fish fed FM32 diet showed inhibited fxr, rxrα and cyp7a1 mRNA levels in the intestine. The results of TUNEL fluorescence staining showed that mixed protein induced apoptosis in largemouth bass. The caspase 3 and caspase 9 mRNA levels in the fish fed FM40 and FM32 diet significantly increased, as well as the expression levels of CASPASE 3. The experiment also found that it could induce oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In conclusion, replacement of fishmeal with mixed animal and plant protein diets did not affect the growth performance, but the health and bile acid metabolism of largemouth bass was affected when the fishmeal level was reduced to 32 %.

Trimethyltin chloride induces oxidative damage and apoptosis in chicken liver

Trimethyltin chloride (TMT) is widespread in the environment and is harmful to both humans and animals. In order to investigate the toxicity mechanism of TMT exposure on chicken liver, We established an in vivo experimental model by giving chickens oral administration of different concentrations of TMT dilution solution and vitro experiments of treating leghorn male hepatoma (LMH) cells for 12 h. The results showed that Albumin (ALB), total protein (TP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the blood of TMT-treated chickens, as well as ALT and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the liver, were dose-dependently increased, and different degrees of necrosis of hepatocytes were observed in histology. Meanwhile, TMT exposure led to a significant decrease in glutathione (GSH) content in chicken liver tissues and LMH cells, what's more a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content in cell supernatants. The expression of apoptosis-related genes Caspase8, Caspase3 and Caspase9 were increased in chicken liver tissues and LMH cells after treated by TMT, and an increased in the percentage of late apoptosis in LMH cells. This suggests that TMT can cause oxidative stress and apoptosis in chicken livers and cells, resulting in liver injury.

Preparation, Characterization and Stability of Calcium-Binding Peptides Derived from Chicken Blood.

Calcium-binding peptides have gained significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields. In this study, we aimed to prepare, characterize, and evaluate the stability of calcium-binding peptides derived from chicken blood. Chicken hemoglobin peptides (CPs) were obtained by protease hydrolysis and were applied to prepare chicken hemoglobin peptide-calcium chelate (CP-Ca). The preparation conditions were optimized, and the characteristics and stability of CP-Ca were analyzed. The optimal chelating conditions were determined by single-factor and response surface tests, and the maximum calcium ion chelating rate was 77.54%. Amino acid analysis indicated that glutamic acid and aspartic acid motifs played an important role in the chelation of the calcium ions and CP. According to the characterization analysis, CP-Ca was a different substance compared with CP; calcium ions chelated CPs via the sites of carbonyl oxygen, carboxyl oxygen, and amino nitrogen groups; and after the chelation, the structure changed from a smooth homogeneous plate to compact granular. The stability analysis showed that CP-Ca was stable at different temperatures, pH, and gastrointestinal conditions. The study indicates that chicken blood is a promising source of peptide-calcium chelates, providing a theoretical basis for application in functional foods and improving the utilization value of chicken blood.

Relationships between pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, blood parameters and oxidative stress of white stork Ciconia ciconia chicks in Poland

The white stork Ciconia ciconia is a bird species located at the top of the trophic pyramid in grassland and wetland ecosystems. This charismatic species is susceptible to pesticides and their environmental residues. In 2016, we collected blood samples from 114 white stork chicks across Western and Southern Poland. Chicks were sexed by molecular analysis and aged by development pattern. We studied the relationship between the concentration of pesticides (beta-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, endrin, 4.4′-DDD, 4.4′-DDE and 4.4′-DDT) and of PCB in the chicks’ blood with blood morphology and biochemistry parameters in the blood. The mean (± SD) values of concentrations of above detection level pesticides were: for (1) beta-HCH 4.139 ± 19.205; (2) 4.4′-DDE 9.254 ± 91.491 and additionally (3) PCB 16.135 ± 44.777 ppb. We found negative relationships between beta-HCH and oxidative stress enzyme activity in the blood, between beta-HCH and leukocyte concentration and between 4.4′-DDE and catalase activity. We also found a positive relationship between the concentration of pesticides in blood and the age of chicks. Interestingly, we found a higher concentration of PCB in the blood of male stork chicks than in female stork chicks. We provide more evidence that the presence of pesticides in the environment can be a strong stress factor, shaping the health status of birds.

Formic acid as an antibiotic alternative in broiler diets: effects on growth, carcass characteristics, blood chemistry, and intestinal microbial load

This study explored the ability of formic acid (FA) to replace antibiotics in broiler chicken diets. It examined how FA affected the chickens' growth, carcass characteristics, blood chemistry, and gut bacteria. The experiment randomly assigned 300 one-day-old (Ross 308) broiler chicks to 5 groups, each divided into 6 replicates with 10 unsexed chicks. The following were the treatments: 1st group, negative control (NC): only received a basal diet; 2nd group, positive control (PC): received a basal diet supplemented with 0.5 grams of Colistin antibiotic per kilogram of diet; 3rd, 4th, and 5th groups (FA2, FA4, and FA6) these groups received a basal diet along with formic acid added at increasing levels: 2, 4, and 6 Cm3 per kilogram of diet, respectively. Results found no significant differences in live body weight (LBW) or body weight gain (BWG) between treatment groups, except for LBW at one week and BWG at 0 to 1 and 4 to 5 wk of age. No significant variations were found in feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the treatment groups, excluding FI and FCR at 1 to 2 wk of age. The treatments significantly impacted carcass traits, dressing percentage, breast meat, thigh meat, spleen, giblets, blood levels of urea, creatinine, total protein, globulin, and albumin, as well as the activity of enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in chicks fed different diets compared to control groups. The addition of FA to the diet significantly impacted antioxidant levels. Also, the FA2 group had the highest total bacterial count (TBC). However, the FA6 group was the opposite; it had the lowest levels of harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and Coliform. Supplementing broiler diets with formic acid improves blood parameters, antioxidant activity, and gut bacteria counts, with 4.0 cm³ formic acid/kg diet supplementation promoting optimal broiler health and product quality.

Spectroscopic assessment and quantitative analysis of the trace element composition of vegetable additives to meat products

In this scientific work, using the method of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), the spectra of beef samples and impurities in meat products, namely, banana, pineapple, kiwi, bergamot, poria coconut, Chinese angelica, chicken blood vine, were measured by using developed experimental devices. The purpose of the research was to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of additives to meat semi-finished products for the potential formation of the desired properties of the products due to the analysis of the received spectrograms of trace elements of the samples when applying the LIBS method, quantitative analysis for processing the received information. The determined values of the electron temperature of the plasma, the electron density of the used raw material samples, and the assessment of the local heat balance were used as evaluation criteria. When processing the obtained data, the characteristics of the laser-induced plasma surface of the presented samples were analyzed; the electron temperature and electron density were determined, and a quantitative analysis of trace elements was carried out. LIBS technology allows rapid real-time monitoring and qualitative analysis of trace elements online and over long distances. During the research, it turned out that quantitative analysis requires further study and optimisation of experimental conditions, such as pre-treatment of samples. These conditions optimise defocusing, double laser pulse, and sample temperature, which increases the signal/noise ratio of all spectral lines. The combination of fluorescence spectroscopy and Raman technology enables higher detection sensitivity and better molecule control, creating a quantitative analysis method model that can reduce matrix effects and overcome the self-absorption effect. Among the difficulties of using LIBS technology, several elements can be noted online simultaneously, compared to Raman. The combination of spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy can obtain more comprehensive information about the composition of materials, which can become a potential platform for monitoring trace elements in food products.

Validation of the method for determining lincomycin levels and calculating lincomycin levels in broiler chicken plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Antibiotic residues that come from food of animal origin, such as broiler chicken, have a variety of consequences on human health and increase the likelihood of antibiotic resistance. Lincomycin residue investigations in broiler chicken especially in plasma broiler chicken should be undertaken utilizing the validation method analysis. The purpose of this study is to determine the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a validation method for calculating the residual concentration of lincomycin in broiler chicken blood plasma and compare it with the minimum Inhibitor Concentration (MIC) and Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) standards for lincomycin. Thirty-five-day-old broiler chickens cobb 700 were weighed and randomly allocated to and separated into control (placebo) and six treatment groups of varying doses and duration. The treatment group's suggested dosage of lincomycin was 50, 100, or 150 mg/kg/day given to 18-day-old chicken, along with drinking water for a week (A group) and 2 weeks (P group). Lincomycin levels in blood plasma were validated using HPLC. The residual lincomycin concentrations 24 hours and 1 week after injection were compared to the lincomycin MIC and the Indonesian National Standard of MRL. The validation of linscomycin reveals a linear value in blood plasma with an R2 of 0.9983. Precision and accuracy levels indicate promising results for detecting lincomycin. The retention duration for 100 µg/ml lincomycin was 10.0-10.5 minutes. Lincomycin had LOD and LOQ values of 13.98 and 4.86 µg/ml, respectively. After 1 week of dosing at 50 and 100 mg/kg dosages, lincomycin residue detection was 0.00, which was below the MRL criterion of <0.1 ppm. The study found that the residual concentration of 150 mg/kg dosages for a week and 100/150 mg/kg doses for 2 weeks above the lincomycin MIC limits against Mycoplasma synoviae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella enteritidis. Lincomycin detection by HPLC in chicken blood plasma showed promising results in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, and sensitivity. Lincomycin administration for 1 week at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg resulted in the lowest residual concentration below the lincomycin MIC and MRL standards.

Research of the mechanism of spatholobi caulis for immune-inflammatory of osteoarthritis based on clinical data mining,network pharmacology and cell experiment verification

BackgroundTraditional Chinese medicine is widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis. This study explores the therapeutic effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on osteoarthritis (OA), as well as the mechanism by which Spatholobi Caulis (SPC) improves the immune-Inflammatory response of OA. MethodsThe clinical data mining techniques to evaluate the efficacy of Caulis spatholobi in treating OA, and elucidated its mechanism of action using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiments. The random walk model was applied to systematically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine on OA. ResultsThe evaluation based on the clinical data mining showed that TCM is effective in improving ESR, CRP, C3, C4, and PLT. Data mining results showed significant OA treatment. Network analysis results showed that it may fight OA by targeting JUN, ESR1 and PPARG; molecular docking results showed good JUN, ESR1, PPARG and active component formononetin. Finally, in vitro experiments conducted the preliminary validation of formononetin for the core target of FLS. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8, and JUN, ESR1, PPARG protein, and mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time RCR at 48 h after drug intervention. ConclusionThe present study demonstrated that the SPC effectively relieved immune inflammation indicators in OA patients. Formononetin, the main active component of the chicken blood vine, acts to reduce the immune validation response in OA patients by reducing the expression of ESR1, JUN, and PPARG.

Influence of the probiotic preparation immunofloor on the immune status of broiler chickens

In conditions of intensification of the livestock industry, to combat infectious pathology, antimicrobial drugs are most often, and in some cases haphazardly, used, which accumulate in raw materials and food products and contribute to environmental pollution. Antibiotics have a detrimental and pathogenic effect on the normal microflora of the gastrointestinal tract of animals and poultry. Against this background, dysbiosis is observed, leading to metabolic disorders, decreased digestibility of essential feed nutrients, and the development of immunological deficiency. One of the leading areas of agricultural science and practice is developing and introducing drugs and feed additives that are an alternative to antibiotics into livestock farming. Probiotics have a unique role in solving this problem. Probiotic preparations ’ therapeutic and prophylactic properties are based on maintaining normal flora at a physiologically necessary level, reducing diarrhea in animals, and improving digestion processes. Probiotics have thefunctions of improving metabolic processes, immunostimulating activity, adaptogenic effects, increasing all types of productivity offarm animals and poultry, and improving the quality of livestock products. Introducing probiotic preparations into poultry and livestockfarming requiresfurther study of their biological properties and immunostimulating activity. The influence of the probiotic drug Immunoflor on the state of natural resistance factors in poultry was studied. Four groups of day-old broiler chickens of the Arbor Acres cross were formed: a control group and three experimental groups. In addition to the main diet, the birds of the experimental groups received Immunoflor in amounts of 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 kg/t of feed. It was established that the inclusion of aprobiotic drug in the diet of broilers contributed to the strengthening of humoral factors of natural resistance due to an increase in the lysozyme and bactericidal activity of blood serum by 10.5 - 17.2 and 8.5 - 12.1% by the end of cultivation. The phagocytic properties of chicken blood leukocytes have also improved. Under the influence of Immunoflor, an increase in the mass of immunocompetent organs was observed in 42-day-old broiler chickens. The maximum indicators of poultry population safety were established in the experimental groups.

Antihypertensive effect of chicken blood peptide hydrolysate in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Chicken blood peptide hydrolysate (CBH) has been reported to exert antioxidant, angiotensin 1-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, and cholesterol-lowering activities. Antihypertensive effect of the CBPH was also demonstrated in spontaneously hypertensive rats. This study aimed to assess the anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effect of the CBH in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. CBH was prepared from fresh chicken blood collected from an industrial slaughterhouse in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 main groups: normal and STZ-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) groups. Five subgroups of each main group were given distilled water, metformin (200 mg/kg), and CBH (300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) by oral gavage for 28 days (n=10 per each group). Fasting blood sugar level and OGTT were evaluated before and at the end of experiment. Each rat underwent monitoring of blood pressure using femoral artery. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher fasting blood glucose concentration and area under curve from OGTT than normal rats, which was not reduced by all treatments. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher mean arterial blood pressure than normal rats, which was significantly reduced by metformin and CBH (300 and 1200 mg/kg) (p&lt;0.05). The blood pressure-lowering effect of CBH suggested the potential for the application of CBH in the management of diabetic hypertension. However, attention must be paid to concerns about bird flu in certain places and prohibition of the use of blood product. This work was supported by Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and National Science Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF) (FF1-111-65-12-30(08)). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Responses of Broiler Chickens Under Dexamethasone-Induced Stress with or Without Seleno Methionine and Vitamin E Supplementation

Heat stress poses a significant threat to the health and productivity of both humans and animals, with modern commercial broilers being particularly susceptible. This study explored the physiological responses of broiler chickens under chronic heat stress conditions with antioxidant supplementation. A total of 135 unsexed Arbor acre broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: control, dexamethasone (DEX) only, and dexamethasone with selenomethionine and vitamin E supplementation (DEX+SeMet+Vit.E) and replicated three times in a completely randomized design. The birds were exposed to daily doses of dexamethasone for 14 days. Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) measurements revealed severe heat stress in the afternoons, impacting (p&lt;0.05) respiratory rates and body temperatures. Supplementation with selenomethionine and vitamin E improved (p&lt;0.05) body temperature of the broiler chickens. DEX significantly (p&lt;0.05) affected all growth performance indices (feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio), despite antioxidant supplementation. SeMet and Vitamin E showed significantly (p&lt;0.05) positive effect on leukocytes in spite of DEX administration. Intestinal morphometry revealed negative effects on villi area, perimeter, and width due to dexamethasone. It was concluded that dexamethasone influenced thermoregulation, growth, blood and intestinal indices in broiler chickens, with antioxidant supplementation with SeMet and Vitamin E partially ameliorating these effects.

Biochemical indices of blood protein metabolism as criteria of broiler nutrition adequacy

The experiments were conducted on the broiler chickens of the cross "Smena-9" in the vivarium of the Selective Genetic Centre "Zagorskoe Experimental Breeding Farm" in Sergiev Posad. The results of the blood plasma biochemical tests showed wavelike changes in the trypsin activity at all ages stu- died. The increased concentration of total protein at 7 days of age in all groups could have been induced by switching from endogenous feed when receiving exogenous feed containing more protein than the yolk sac. The age dynamics of the alkaline phosphatase activity had sharp fluctuations throughout the whole rearing period. At 1–7 days of age, there was an increase in the phosphatase activity with a subsequent decrease until 35 days of age relative to the control in all groups. The peak of high activity of this enzyme occurs on the 7th day – 31030 units/l in the control group and on the 14th day in the experimental group 2. Thereafter, there is a gradual decrease in the activity of this enzyme. A sharp increase in the level of alkaline phosphatase in the blood of broiler chickens at 7–21 days of age indicates intensive growth and formation of the organism, but a sharp surge in activity at 7 days of age could also be caused by the transition to a new diet, which in itself is a stress factor. A decrease in the activity of this enzyme at 28–35 days of age indicates a slowdown in the growth process. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate the biochemical composition of blood in different periods of post-embryogenesis of broiler chickens of the cross "Smena-9" at changing the level of protein in the diet, which in this case remains a relevant and informative source of information on the effect of changes in the ingredient composition of feed on the bird organism as a whole.

DYNAMICS OF SOME HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF PHEASANTS (Phasianus Colchicus Colchicus)

The article presents experimental data on the dynamics of hematological blood parameters (number of erythrocytes, leukocytes, hemoglobin concentration) of pheasant chicks (Phasianus colchicus colchicus) incubated from eggs of different weights for 1-60 days. Hematological analyses revealed that with increasing age of pheasant chicks at the age of 1-30 days there was a decrease in the number of erythrocytes and leukocytes, hemoglobin concentration and in the blood of pheasants at the age of 60 days there was an increase in the number of marked indicators. The reason for the sharp decrease in the number of erythrocytes in the blood of pheasants hatched from eggs of large mass can be explained by the fact that the average life span of these cells is 7 days. Therefore, physiological anemia is registered on day 10. Then gradually increases the activity of hematopoietic organs, the number of erythrocytes also increases. This pattern is also registered in the blood of chicks hatched from eggs of medium and light weight. The presented information can be used in assessing the physiological state of pheasant chicks.

Challenges for heat stress: Intestinal culturable bacteria of Lohmann Brown chickens

This study aimed to assess how heat stress, specifically within the range of 35–38 °C, affects the populations of culturable intestinal lactobacilli, enterococci, and Escherichia coli, as well as the expression of Heat Shock Proteins (HSP70), in Lohmann Brown chickens. It also explored the influence of the chickens' blood transferrin and ceruloplasmin genotypes on these responses. Thirty chickens underwent eight hours of heat stress, maintained at an average temperature of 37 °C and a relative humidity of 75–80%, with continuous access to food and water. Behavioral monitoring was conducted throughout to prevent excessive heat-related mortality. The Lohmann Brown chickens from the Yerevan “Arax” poultry farm were initially classified based on their blood transferrin and ceruloplasmin genotypes to investigate potential correlations between intestinal bacterial composition and variations in these polymorphisms. A significant correlation was found between heat stress and the abundance of culturable enterococci within the intestinal microbiota, regardless of chicken TfAB, TfBC, CpAB, CpCC and TfAB, TfBC, CpAB, CpCD genotypes. Heat stress led to nearly double the HSP70 levels in chicken blood, along with a reduction in the culturable enterococci population by at least 10,000-fold in the intestinal microbiota. These findings are significant for targeted management strategies to mitigate heat stress in chicken populations.

Synergy of Subgroup J Avian Leukosis Virus and Chicken Infectious Anemia Virus Enhances the Pathogenicity in Chickens.

Subgroup J avian leukemia virus (ALV-J) and chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) are widely acknowledged as significant immunosuppressive pathogens that commonly co-infect chickens, causing substantial economic losses in the poultry industry. However, whether co-infection of ALV-J and CIAV have synergistic pathogenicity remains uncertain. To explore their synergistic pathogenesis, we established a co-infection model of ALV-J and CIAV in HD11 cells and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. We discovered that ALV-J and CIAV can synergistically promote the secretion of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-α, and IFN-γ and apoptosis in HD11 cells. In vivo, compared to the ALV-J and CIAV mono-infected group, the mortality increased significantly by 27% (20 to 47%) and 14% (33 to 47%) in the co-infected group, respectively. We also discovered that ALV-J and CIAV synergistically inhibited weight gain and exhibited more severe organ damage in co-infected chickens. Furthermore, we found that CIAV can promote the replication of ALV-J in HD11 cells and significantly enhance ALV-J viral load in blood and tissues of co-infected chickens, but ALV-J cannot promote the replication of CIAV. Moreover, by measuring the immune organ indexes and proportions of blood CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes, more serious instances of immunosuppression were observed in ALV-J and CIAV co-infected chickens than in mono-infected chickens. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that ALV-J and CIAV synergistically enhance pathogenicity and immunosuppression.

The effect of methionine and folic acid administered in ovo on the blood biochemical parameters of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Methionine is one of the most frequently supplemented amino acids in raising of poultry. However, an overdose of methionine can cause hyperhomocysteinemia. Folic acid, taking part in the process of homocysteine remethylation, is a factor affecting the reduction of the concentration of this amino acid. The study was carried out in 2 stages. The experiment of step I was to investigate the effect of methionine and/or folic acid administration in ovo in the early stage of embryogenesis (E4), and the experiment of the second stage - in the late stage of embryogenesis (E17) on the following biochemical parameters of chicken blood: glucose concentration in whole blood and concentration of homocysteine and uric acid in plasma of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Our results confirm that methionine supplementation may increase the concentration of uric acid and homocysteine. Moreover, we demonstrated that folic acid administered during embryogenesis decreased homocysteine concentration, also in groups simultaneously supplemented with methionine, especially in the initial stage of postnatal life of the bird.