The beneficial effects of spraying of probiotic Bacillus and Lactobacillus bacteria on broiler chickens experimentally infected with avian influenza virus H9N2.

This study investigated the clinical, antiviral, and immunological effects of spraying Bacillus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. as a single or mixture probiotic compound on experimentally infected broiler chickens with AIV H9N2.

Effects of dietary stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) on hormone stress and selected serum biochemical parameters of broilers subjected to chronic heat stress.

Background: Heat stress is one of the most critical problems confronting the poultry industry. Stinging nettle (SN) is a medicinal plant with potent antioxidant properties.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary SN at two different levels (2 and 4%) on the serum levels of cortisol and some selected parameters of broilers exposed to chronic heat stress.

Impact of high dietary energy on obesity and oxidative stress in domestic pigeons.

Obesity is associated with increased risk of oxidative stress in humans and laboratory animals but information regarding obesity-induced oxidative stress in birds is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of high-energy diets (HED) on obesity and oxidative stress in domestic pigeons. Forty-five adult clinically healthy-domestic male pigeons were randomly assigned to three equal dietary groups including low (2,850 kcal/kg), medium (3,150 kcal/kg) and high (3,450 kcal/kg) energy diets (named low energy diet, medium-energy diet and HED, respectively).

Comparative Effects of Dexamethasone and Meloxicam on Magnitude of the Acute Inflammatory Response Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in Broiler Chickens.

Purpose: Dexamethasone has been widely used to treat acute inflammatory diseases and endotoxic shocks in animal models. Meloxicam is one of the most commonly used anti-inflammatory agents in avian species. However, little is known about the effects of dexamethasone and meloxicam on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute inflammatory response in birds.

Viral quantity and pathological changes in broilers experimentally infected by IRFIBV32 isolate of infectious bronchitis virus.

An Iranian isolate of avian infectious bronchitis virus IRFIBV32 was quantified in experimentally infected broilers using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and histopathological changes was investigated. Thirty-six 3-week-old commercial broilers were inoculated by 10(5) ELD50/0.1 ml of the virus.

Changes of several acute phase factors in broiler chickens in response to infectious bronchitis virus infection.

This study was performed to clarify the acute phase response following infectious bronchitis virus inoculation. Ninety clinically healthy 1-d-old Ross chicks were randomly assigned into 2 groups: control (n = 20) and infected group (n = 70). At the age of 20 d, all birds in the infected group were challenged intranasally with allantoic fluid containing 10(5) embryo lethal dose (ELD50)/0.