Introduction: Requirements for dietary amino acids (AA) in broilers may be affected by a variety of nutritional, environmental, genetic, or management factors. In order to address these variations in diet formulation, ideal ratios of indispensible AA to digestible (d) Lys, which remain relatively unaffected by these factors, may be used instead [1]. Nutritionists have successfully applied the i...

Genetic selection in primary broiler breeders may modify skeletal structure, possibly impeding semen transfer, and could alter the size and degree of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of bilateral traits associated with fertility. Hence, we hypothesized specific morphometric traits could predict differential fertility. Sixty primary broiler breeder males from Strains A and B (n = 30/strain) were indiv...

The appearance of very virulent strains of infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus at the end of the 1980s made it necessary to develop more effective immunization procedures. To facilitate this, the immunogenicity and the immunosuppressive effect of a mild (G-87), an intermediate (LIBD) and an intermediate-plus (IBDV 2512) IBDV strain were tested after the in ovo inoculation of 18-day-old SPF an...

Broiler flocks are frequently infected with Campylobacter jejuni. The origin of the infection is still unclear. The question of whether colonization of flocks results from transmission of C. jejuni from breeder flocks to progeny (vertical transmission) or from environmental sources (horizontal transmission) remains to be answered. Therefore, in this study samples were taken from successive broi...

The effect of dietary Bacillus-based direct-fed microbials (DFMs; eight single strains designated as Bs2084, LSSAO1, 3AP4, Bs18, 15AP4, 22CP1, Bs27, and Bs278, and one multiple-strain DFM product [AVICORR]) on growth performance, intestinal lesions, and innate and acquired immunities were evaluated in broiler chickens following Eimeria maxima (EM) infection. EM-induced reduction of body weight ...

Broiler flocks often become infected with Campylobacter and Salmonella, and the exact contamination routes are still not fully understood. Insects like darkling beetles and their larvae may play a role in transfer of the pathogens between consecutive cycles. In this study, several groups of beetles and their larvae were artificially contaminated with a mixture of Salmonella enterica serovar Par...

Virulent Newcastle disease has threatened the Mexican poultry industry since 1946. Two Mexican virulent strains belonging to the Chimalhuacan (Quail2006) and Torreon (Chicken2000) lineages of genetic group V, as well as the ancient Mexican strain named Queretaro and a Beaudette C-like US strain (genotype II) were tested by pathogenesis analysis in commercial 5 weeks old broiler chickens, compar...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect different levels crushed sugarcane in diet on performance, bone characteristics and intestinal morphology slow-growing broiler strains. A total 448 chickens at 35 days age were allotted two randomized blocks a 4×2 factorial arrangement (levels feed replacement with sugarcane, fresh-matter basis: 0, 15, 30, 45%) strains (Pesadão Label Rouge ...

Background Vertical integration of the broiler industry allows producers to combine different biosecurity and sanitation practices, housing technologies, and feeding regimens to improve food safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella, to determine the source of Salmonella contaminants, and to reveal the relationships between isolates at ea...

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are food-borne pathogens primarily associated with the consumption of contaminated ground beef and are an important food safety concern worldwide. STEC has been found to produce a family of related cytotoxins known as Shiga toxins (Stxs). Shiga toxins have been classified into two major classes, Stx1 and Stx2. A single strains of STEC can produce St...