The effects of Selko Elarom Poultry on intestinal inflammation in broiler chickens

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Coccidiosis is a parasitic condition of broiler chickens. The lesions casued by coccidia are a pre-disposingfactor for necrotic enteritis, an ailment that is associated with world wide economic losses to poultry producersof > $6 billion annually. In conventional production, coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are prevented andmanaged through anti-coccidial and antibiotic administration. However the use of antibiotics are prohibitedduring the bird's life in raised without antibiotic (RWA) feeding programs. In RWA production, coccidiosis canbe prevented through vaccination, yet not without risk. Vaccines contain live parasites, which replicate anumber of times through the intestines, damaging the organ in the process. Damage to the intestine results ininflammation and reductions in markers of gut integrity that have been linked to decreases in weight gainfollowing vaccination. Feed additives that promote proper intestinal functioning may prove beneficial inmitigating the intestinal damage induced by live vaccines. Selko Elarom Poultry (ElrM), produced by TrouwNutrition, is a synergistic blend of phenolic compounds, short and medium chain fatty acids, and organic acids.Previous in-house studies completed by Trouw Nutrition have demonstrated that ElrM improves feedconversion ratio, an index of growth supporting the use of Elarom in RWA applications. However, themechanistic underpinnings of these effects have not been elucidated. This is an important question to address,as it will provide further empirical evidence to support the use of Selko Elarom Poultry and reduce theeconomic impact of Coccidiosis and vaccination against it. Therefore the problem the company would like toinvestigate, and the objective of the proposed work is to examine the effects of Elarom on indices of intestinalinflammation and gut integrity in broiler chickens. Trouw Nutrition does not have the expertise to answer thisquestion and has subsequently partnered with Dr. Wright, an expert in this area. The work in this proposal willprovide important insight into the mechanisms of action of ElrM and will be an important step in expandingthe use of ElrM in other species.