Early-life β-glucan exposure enhances disease resilience of broiler chickens to a natural Clostridium perfringens infection.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease in poultry. Colonization by the opportunistic pathogen C. perfringens occurs early after hatch and induces host immune tolerance, which allows it to persist as part of the bird's commensal microflora.

A Poultry Subclinical Necrotic Enteritis Disease Model Based on Natural Uptake.

Necrotic enteritis (NE) in poultry is an opportunistic infection caused by . Well-known as a multifactorial disease, NE development is under the influence of a wide range of environmental risk factors that promote the proliferation of pathogenic at the expense of nonpathogenic strains. Current NE challenge models typically incorporate pre-exposure to disease risk factors, in combination with exogenous inoculation.

Impact of Reduced Dietary Crude Protein in the Starter Phase on Immune Development and Response of Broilers Throughout the Growth Period.

Crude protein (CP) levels in commercial broiler () diets, optimized for maximum yield production vs. feed cost, have only begun to be assessed for impact on immune function. In order to study immune effects of dietary CP levels, different starter phase (day 1-14) diets were fed to 230 Ross 708 male broiler chicks randomly assigned at 1 day of age into two treatment groups.

Differential Effects of Drinking Water Quality on Phagocyte Responses of Broiler Chickens Against Fungal and Bacterial Challenges.

Combinatorial effects of xenobiotics in water on health may occur even at levels within current acceptable guidelines for individual chemicals. Herein, we took advantage of the sensitivity of the immune system and an avian animal model to examine the impact of xenobiotic mixtures on animal health. Water was derived from an underground well in Alberta, Canada and met guidelines for consumption, but contained a number of contaminants.

Innate Immunity Provides Biomarkers of Health for Teleosts Exposed to Nanoparticles.

In recent years, the unique properties of nanoparticles have fostered novel applications in various fields such as biology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and others. Unfortunately, their rapid integration into daily life has also led to environmental concerns due to uncontrolled release of nanoparticles into the aquatic environment. Despite increasing awareness of nanoparticle bioaccumulation in the aquatic environment, much remains to be learned about their impact on aquatic organisms and how to best monitor these effects.