abstract book - Clostridia

CONTROL OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS INDUCED NECROTICENTERITIS IN BROILERS BY BUTYRIC ACID, MEDIUM CHAIN FATTYACIDS AND ESSENTIAL OILSL. Timbermont 1 , A. Lanckriet 1 , N. Nolletv 2 , K. Schwarzer 2 , F. Pasmans 1 ,F. Haesebrouck 1 , R. Ducatelle 1 and F. Van Immerseel 11 Research Group Veterinary Public Health and Zoonoses, Department ofPathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.2 INVE Nutri-Ad, Baasrode, Belgium.The efficacy of butyric acid, medium chain fatty acids and essential oils or acombination of these products, for the control of necrotic enteritis wasinvestigated using a necrotic enteritis model in broiler chickens. In a firstexperiment, four groups of chickens were fed a diet supplemented witheither butyric acid, butyric acid in combination with medium chain fatty acids,butyric acid in combination with medium chain fatty acids and botanicals, orwith botanicals only. In all groups except for the group receiving only butyricacid, a significantly lower number of animals with necrotic lesions was foundcompared to the infected, untreated control group.In a second experiment the same products were tested but at a higherconcentration. Moreover, an extra group fed a diet supplemented only withmedium chain fatty acids was included. Reduction in the number of animalswith necrotic lesions was found in all the treated groups.These results suggest that butyric acid, medium chain fatty acids andbotanicals counteract the development of C. perfringens associated gutlesions in poultry.