INDIA – Cargill, in partnership with West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, has made significant strides in enhancing broiler health and performance through a recent animal nutrition intervention trial under the USAID-funded TRANSFORM project.
The study, published in the journal Animals, focused on the effects of nutritional additives on broiler growth, vaccine efficacy, and pathogen levels. It revealed promising results that could have a far-reaching impact on poultry farming practices.
This groundbreaking trial is the first to demonstrate how specific animal nutrition interventions can improve the efficacy of vaccines, particularly those for infectious bursal disease (IBD) in broilers.
Two primary nutritional supplements were tested: Bacillus subtilis, a probiotic, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP), a postbiotic.
These additives yielded measurable improvements in the birds’ overall health and disease resistance.
Key findings from the trial include notable improvements in growth performance, with SCFP contributing to a better feed conversion ratio.
This means that broilers could gain the same weight while consuming less feed, an important factor for poultry producers seeking to enhance productivity.
Additionally, Bacillus subtilis and SCFP increased villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (VH:CD), indicating a larger intestinal surface area for nutrient absorption.
More significantly, SCFP demonstrated its ability to improve vaccine efficacy by boosting antibody titers after vaccinations for Newcastle disease and IBD.
This improvement suggests that the nutritional intervention supported better immune responses and offered enhanced protection against these diseases.
Furthermore, SCFP was found to reduce antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella species, marking a significant advancement in tackling the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance in poultry.
Annie Kneedler, Chief of the Party for the TRANSFORM project, underscored the broader implications of the trial’s findings.
She highlighted that the world is grappling with challenges like antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases, and animal agriculture must play a critical role in addressing these concerns.
The project aims to enhance animal productivity and global health security by identifying market-driven solutions that bolster immune response and reduce disease pathogens.
Looking ahead, the TRANSFORM project plans to conduct nearly two dozen more trials across four different species by 2026, continuing to explore the potential of animal nutrition interventions to reduce the need for antimicrobials while improving livestock health outcomes.
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