Extensive genome analysis identifies novel plasmid families in .

Globally, the anaerobic bacterium causes severe disease in a wide array of hosts; however, strains are also carried asymptomatically. Accessory genes are responsible for much of the observed phenotypic variation and virulence within this species, with toxins frequently encoded on conjugative plasmids and many isolates carrying up to 10 plasmids. Despite this unusual biology, current genomic analyses have largely excluded isolates from healthy hosts or environmental sources.

Anticoccidial Vaccination Is Associated with Improved Intestinal Health in Organic Chickens.

spp. and (CP) are pathogens associated with coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. In this study we evaluated the effect of anticoccidial vaccination on intestinal health in clinically healthy organic Ross 308 chickens.

Varying starch to fat ratios in pelleted diets: II. Effects on intestinal histomorphometry, and short-chain fatty acids in -challenged broiler chickens.

1. The hypothesis behind the study was that a high dietary starch level (HS) would lead to impaired gut health compared to a low-starch diet (LS) in -challenged broilers. The effects of two diets with different starch to fat ratios on intestinal histomorphometry, counts and toxin profile, necrotic enteritis prevalence and abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were examined.

Varying starch to fat ratios in pelleted diets: I. Effects on nutrient digestibility and production performance in -challenged broiler chickens.

1. The hypothesis was that a diet with a high starch to fat ratio (HS) impairs nutrient digestibility and growth performance, as compared to a diet with a low starch to fat ratio (LS) in -challenged broilers. From days 10 to 29, 12 replicate pens of birds were given isocaloric and isonitrogenous steam-pelleted diets with either HS or LS, by replacing the wheat starch in one diet by a mixture of rapeseed oil and inert sand in the other.