The Impact of Probiotics and Egg Yolk IgY on Behavior and Blood Parameters in a Broiler Immune Stress Model

Ibrahim F Rehan; Mohammed Youssef; Mootaz A M Abdel-Rahman; Sohaila G Fahmy; Eslam Ahmed; Ahmed S Ahmed; Mohamed A Maky; Hassan M Diab; Obeid Shanab; Saad Alkahtani; Mohamed M Abdel-Daim; Hamdy Hassan; Ahmed F Rehan; Mohamed A Hussien; Nesreen Z Eleiwa; Asmaa Elnagar; Ahmed Abdeen; Abd El-Latif Hesham

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00145

The Impact of Probiotics and Egg Yolk IgY on Behavior and Blood Parameters in a Broiler Immune Stress Model

Front Vet Sci. 2020 Apr 9:7:145. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00145. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Ibrahim F Rehan¹, Mohammed Youssef², Mootaz A M Abdel-Rahman³, Sohaila G Fahmy⁴, Eslam Ahmed⁴, Ahmed S Ahmed⁵, Mohamed A Maky⁶, Hassan M Diab⁷, Obeid Shanab⁸, Saad Alkahtani⁹, Mohamed M Abdel-Daim^{9

10}, Hamdy Hassan¹¹, Ahmed F Rehan¹², Mohamed A Hussien¹², Nesreen Z Eleiwa¹³, Asmaa Elnagar¹⁴, Ahmed Abdeen¹⁵, Abd El-Latif Hesham¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Husbandry and Development of Animal Wealth, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Menofia University, Shibin Alkom, Egypt.
² Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
³ Department of Behavior, Management, and Development of Animal Wealth, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Animal Behavior and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Food Hygiene and Control (Milk Hygiene), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Food Hygiene and Control (Meat Hygiene), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Animal and Poultry Health and Environment, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
¹¹ Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
¹² Department of Food Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
¹³ Department of Food Hygiene, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.
¹⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
¹⁵ Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh, Egypt.
¹⁶ Department of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.

Abstract

Feed additives are used frequently in variable combinations to maximize broiler productivity and consumer safety. Therefore, we evaluated the efficiency of feed additives used in four different diets: a basal diet, a probiotic (PRO-PAC^®) supplement diet, an egg yolk purified immunoglobulin Y (IgY) supplemented diet, and a combination of IgY and PRO-PAC^® supplement (n = 15 for each group). We assessed the improvement of behavioral and hematological parameters of Ross broilers before and after an immune stress challenge using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Behavioral as well as physiological parameters were analyzed. The standing frequency was the highest (P < 0.05) in broilers supplemented with a combination of probiotics and IgY. Likewise, latency approach score to a novel object improved (P < 0.01) in the combination group at week-3. After intraperitoneal injection of LPS, this combination group achieved the best gait score at week-3, followed by week-5, compared to birds fed the basal diet. The heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, heterophil differential count, and eosinophil differential count in the basal diet group that was challenged with LPS were significantly increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, P < 0.05, respectively) compared to the combination groups. Therefore, we concluded that the combination of IgY and probiotics can significantly improve the behavior and the underlying physiological parameters of Ross broilers. Consequently, this combination can improve the broilers' health, welfare and produce a safe meat free from harmful chemical residues.

Keywords: behavior; broilers; immunoglobulin Y; lipopolysaccharides; physiology.