Phytogenic blend administered through water impacts Salmonella infection in broiler chickens

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a phytogenic, blend administered through the water, in reducing Salmonella infection in broiler chickens. The first trial was aimed to evaluate the potential efficacy of the phytogenic blend given at one dose, while the second compared 3 concentrations of the same blend. For the first trial, 240 one-day-old male broilers were obtained from a commercial hatchery and placed in battery cages. There were 10 replicates of 2 treatments: 1) infected control and 2) infected, water soluble phytogenic (0.100 g/L). Birds were challenged with 0.5 × 10⁸ colony forming unit (CFU) nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella typhimurium (ST) on d 1. Although not significant (P > 0.05), water-soluble treated birds had lower cecal S.T. concentrations compared with the control at 4 dpi (days postinfection; P = 0.06). No differences in cecal ST concentrations were observed at 7, 14, or 21 dpi. No significant differences in prevalence of ST in the ceca, livers, or spleens between the treatments were observed at any time point. Bird weight and FCR were significantly (P < 0.05) improved in water-soluble phytogenic treated birds. For the second trial, 212 one-day-old broilers were obtained from a commercial hatchery and placed in battery cages. There were 5 replicates of 5 treatments: 1) uninfected, untreated 2) infected, untreated, 3) infected, 0.075 g/L water-soluble phytogenic, 4) infected, 0.100 g/L water-soluble phytogenic, and 5) 0.125 g/L water-soluble phytogenic. On D 3, birds were infected with 7.8×10⁸ CFU S. Enteritidis (SE). Two dpi there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in cecal S.E. between the treatments. On 5 and 11 dpi, the birds given water-soluble phytogenic had significantly (P < 0.05) lower cecal S.E. compared with the infected controls. No significant differences (P > 0.05) in bird weights or FCR between treatments were observed. In conclusion, the addition of water-soluble phytogenic to the drinking water reduced Salmonella infection in broilers challenged with Salmonella.