Journal of Poultry Sciences and Avian Diseases
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Spring 2024

Ascites or pulmonary hypertension syndrome is one of the common complications in the poultry industry, which is associated with symptoms such as increased pulmonary artery pressure, dilatation and hypertrophy of the right ventricle. Previous experiments have proven that the measurement of lipid peroxidation is a key indicator for detecting oxidative stress. It has also been determined that the ratio of heterophile/lymphocyte increases in stress conditions and can be helpful in the diagnosis of oxidative stress. Considering the antioxidant role of prebiotics, there is a possibility that these compounds can reduce the oxidative stress in pulmonary hypertension. In the current study, in order to measure this hypothesis, 135 broilers were purchased and divided into three groups of 45 pieces in three repetitions: sham group: basal diet, control group: basal diet + triiodothyronine (T3) (1.5 mg/kg) to induce ascites, and treatment group: basal diet + T3 (1.5 mg/kg) + Safmannan (1000 grams per ton) from one day old. At the age of 21, 35, and 49 days, 9 chickens from each group were randomly selected and after blood sampling, blood parameters including lymphocytes, heterophil, heterophil/lymphocyte and and the ratio of right ventricular to the total ventricles (RV/TV) weight as well as lipid peroxidation were assayed. According to the findings, the RV/TV increased significantly at the age of 49 days in the positive control group and reached above 0.29, which indicates the presence of ascites in this group (P<0.05). The ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes at the age of 49 days in the prebiotic treatment group demonstrated a meaningful reduction compared to the positive control group, and also the amount of lipid peroxidation at the ages of 35 and 49 days in the prebiotic treatment group decreased compared to the positive control group (P<0.05). According to the results of the current research, Safmannan prebiotic was able to remarkably decrease the amount of oxidative stress caused by ascites.

The pre-starter diet is critical for providing adequate nutrition to newly hatched chicks, whose digestive systems are not yet fully developed to handle solid feeds. Different levels of dietary energy can impact the growth and development of broilers. Hence, providing the right energy to meet their requirements is necessary. A study was conducted to examine the effect of different levels of metabolizable energy (ME) (3025, 2904, and 2783 kcal/kg) in the pre-starter diet (1 to 10 days) of broiler chickens on their growth performance traits. The experiment involved 450 broilers of the Ross 308 breed, divided into three treatments and six replications. The results of the study showed that reducing dietary energy levels increased the feed intake (FI) and body weight (BW) of broiler chickens, although it did not affect their feed conversion factor (FCR). Based on the results of the current study, reducing the recommended energy levels by up to 5% had no negative impact on growth performance. This can be useful in reducing the feed expense in broiler production.

Over the last few decades, progress in molecular biology and genetic technologies has allowed scientists to explore the mechanisms of lipid metabolism in chickens. Through techniques like RNA sequencing and gene expression profiling, researchers can now investigate how dietary fat supplements impact the expression of particular genes related to lipid metabolism regulation. Limited research exists on the comparative impacts of fat powder and fatty acid incorporation in broiler feed on the expression of lipid metabolism-regulating genes in the liver. This study aims to identify particular genes and metabolic pathways linked to reduced abdominal fat deposition in commercial broiler chickens. The study involved 500 broiler chickens from the commercial strain Ross 308, distributed in a completely randomized layout with five different treatments and five replications. The duration of the research lasted for 42 days. Initially, the control group received no fatty acid or fat powder, whereas the other groups were supplemented with either 3% or 6% fat powder or fatty acid. The experimental period was divided into two distinct phases: the starter phase (0-21 days) and the grower phase (22-41 days). Fatty acid synthase (FASN), malic enzyme 1 (ME1), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 3 (GPAT3), glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, mitochondrial (GPAM), CD36 molecule (CD36), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2), acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), apolipoprotein B (APOB), very low-density apolipoprotein II (apoVLDLII), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) genes selected as indicators of lipid metabolism-regulation and were studied using qPCR technique. The impact of fatty acids (FA) on the regulation of genes under investigation was found to be more pronounced. However, both types of fat increased abdominal fat, with FA demonstrating a stronger effect. While the fat level was deemed significant in certain instances, the current findings and methodology suggest that a 3% fat supplement may be a more cost-effective and economical option for farm use. To further enhance the initial findings and gain a more comprehensive understanding of fat metabolism in poultry, future studies should involve comparative and correlative analyses, encompass a wider range of fat sources, and consider production traits in conjunction with genes associated with fatty acids in the liver.

The heritability of fertility, hatchability, and their relationship with egg quality traits was studied in fully pedigreed records of a Japanese quail population. A restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedure was applied in univariate and bivariate analyses. According to the heritability values of FERT, HFE, and HTE in this population of Japanese quail, the role of genes is low, and it is feasible to improve these traits through environmental conditions effectively. Percentage of fertility (FERT) showed positive genetic correlations with AH, YH, YW, and YI (from 0.18 to 0.65) and negative genetic correlations with AW (-0.21). The high genetic correlations were obtained between HFE and ESI (0.62), between HFE and EST (0.56), between HTE and ESI (0.53), and between HTE and EST (0.51). In conclusion, reproductive traits (fertility and hatchability) can improve through selection for high egg quality traits such as EST, ESI, YH, YW, and YI in Japanese quail.

The global poultry industry relies heavily on antibiotics to prevent and treat diseases and promote growth. However, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses significant risks to both animal and human health, necessitating alternative approaches to maintain health and productivity. This review systematically examines the evidence for medicinal plants and their bioactive components as non-antibiotic interventions and growth promoters in poultry species. Numerous herbs, spices, plant extracts, essential oils, and isolated phytochemicals demonstrate beneficial bioactivities relevant to poultry production in vitro and in vivo, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant effects. While considerable research confirms positive impacts on performance under experimental conditions, questions remain regarding bioavailability, mechanisms, efficacy, safety, feasibility, and suitability for commercial integration that currently impede widespread adoption as antibiotic alternatives. Further high-quality controlled trials directly analyzing physiological responses, production impacts, safety profiles, and costeffectiveness analysis are warranted to support the integration of evidence-based phytogenic feed additives in poultry production systems.

Periplasmic expression of antimicrobial peptides is one of the most important issues in cloning and protein expression systems. In the present study, bioinformatics methods were used to predict the best signal peptides for periplasmic expression of the melittin peptide in Escherichia coli. Therefore, the sequence of 12 signal peptides was prepared from signal peptide databases. In order to choose the best signal peptide, periplasmic expression, sub-cellular localization site, solubility, physical and chemical properties of signal peptides were analyzed by Signalp6, Psort, Protein-sol, PRED-TAT, and Portparam servers. Six of the 12 signal peptides passed the Signalp6 filter, and only two passed Psort. After examining the solubility of signal peptides and investigating their physical and chemical properties, it was determined that zraP has the most favorable characteristics. Finally, zraP could be considered the best signal peptide for the melittin expression. Our results can be used for periplasmic expression of melittin in Escherichia coli host.

Maternal antibodies in egg yolks provide the initial protection for embryos after hatching. Newcastle disease virus is one of the viruses that causes mortality in chickens of all ages. This study aimed to analyze the Newcastle disease virus titer in the egg yolks of IPB-D2 chickens (Institut Pertanian Bogor-D2). Seventy-two eggs were collected from 12 IPB-D2 chickens with two repetitions over three periods, using a hemagglutination test for Newcastle disease titer. The hemagglutination test results were analyzed using geometric mean titers and descriptive analysis. The protection levels for Period I were 55%, Period II was 71%, and Period III was 70%, respectively. The egg weight was 40.11±3.61 grams, the hatch weight was 32.12±4.62 grams, and the body weight at four weeks was 288.2±59.42 grams, respectively. The phenotypic correlation of Newcastle antibody in egg yolks with egg weight and hatch weight showed significant differences but there was not statistically significant with body weight at four weeks.