Quantitative estimates of endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression have revealed that some adhesion molecules [e.g., intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)] are abundantly expressed in different vascular beds under normal conditions. The objective of this study was to determine whether the enteric microflora contribute to the constitutive expression of ICAM-1 and other endothelial cell...

Four experiments were conducted using day-of-hatch, mixed-sex broiler chicks to evaluate the effects of aflatoxins and T-2 toxin on cecal volatile fatty acids (VFA) and the susceptibility to Salmonella colonization. All chicks in these experiments were challenged orally with 10(4) cfu of Salmonella typhimurium (ST) on Day 3. In Experiments 1 and 2, chicks were fed diets containing 0, 2.5, or 7....

The intentional early colonization of the intestinal tract with beneficial microflora, known as competitive exclusion, has been shown to successfully protect poultry from selected enteric pathogens. Although effective cultures have been produced and are available, an inexpensive, air-tolerant, and completely defined culture is needed. Presently, we developed an in vitro competition assay to sel...

Plant polyphenols, especially flavonoids, are of great interest due to their wide range of biological activities. Quercetin, a ubiquitous flavonoid, is known to have antioxidant and antibacterial effects. In this study, we investigated the effect of quercetin on performance, egg quality, cecal microflora populations, and antioxidant status in laying hens. Two hundred forty 28-wk-old Hessian lay...

The present study was conducted to investigate whether dietary essential oils could affect growth performance, relative organ weights, cecal microflora, immune responses and blood profiles of broiler chickens fed on diets containing different nutrient densities. A total of eight hundred-forty 1-d-old male broiler chicks were randomly allotted into twenty-eight pens (7 pens per treatment, 30 chi...

Germfree and conventional rats were given a semi-synthetic diet containing either normal cornstarch or an amylomaize starch. The experimental groups thus formed were compared to assess the effects of these two types of starch and to determine if digestive tract microflora was involved in these effects. The presence of amylomaize starch decreased body growth in germfree and conventional rats, in...

Broiler digestive tract fungal communities have gained far less scrutiny than that given corresponding bacterial communities. Attention given poultry-associated fungi have focused primarily on feed-associated toxin-producers, yeast, and yeast products. The current project focused on the use of pyrosequencing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to identify and monitor broiler dige...