Incorporating nucleotides into chickens' diets reduces the negative effects caused by ‘Clostridium perfringens’ in the intestine

The use of nucleotide supplements in broiler chickens' diets has been shown to notably decrease the negative effects that Clostridium perfringens bacteria has on their intestinal health and growth.This is the main conclusion of a study entitled The impact of exogenous dietary nucleotides in ameliorating Clostridium perfringens infection and improving intestinal barriers gene expression in broiler chicken, which was carried out by a group of experts in animal nutrition and microbiology from the Veterinary Faculty at Cairo University (Egypt).

This study, published in Veterinary and Animal Science, was based on 270 chickens randomly split into six treatment groups over 35 days.

"Chickens infected with Clostridium perfringens that followed a diet supplemented with Bioiberica Nucleoforce™ saw an improvement in the function of their intestinal barrier and their intestinal histomorphology, which had a positive effect on their growth parameters" said Oriol Roigé, Product Manager at Bioiberica Animal Nutrition.

Gut health is, of course, crucial when it comes to achieving a high and profitable growth rate in poultry farming. A widespread practice for tackling infections caused by Clostridium perfringens was the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs); however, nutritionists are trying to find natural alternatives, as the afore mentioned study stated. One of these alternatives is to supplement the diet of young animals with bioactive substances such as nucleotides.

"Naturally occurring nucleotides are barely present in optimal concentrations in plant- and animal-based feed. As such, here at Bioiberica, for years our recommendation has been to follow a nutritional strategy  in healthy chickens  based on Nucleoforce™, which provides the nutrients necessary for the intestinal immune system to function properly,” added Oriol Roigé.

For more information on the Nucleoforce™ line, please visit this section of our website.

Study reference:

Mohamed, F.F., Hady, Maha M., Kamel.N.F., Ragaa, Naela M. (2020).‘The impact of exogenous dietary nucleotides in ameliorating Clostridium perfringens infection and improving intestinal barriers gene expression in broiler chicken.’Veterinary and Animal Science, Volume 10, December 2020. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vas.2020.100130