June 10, 2008

New studies may spawn re-think of probiotics adminstration

Administering probiotics has been touted as one of the best methods to produce healthy chickens without antibiotics but a new University of Georgia study said the timing of the administration would also be important.

The study found that chickens in the embryo stage are already victims to harmful bacteria which are able to embed themselves into the chickens' intestines even before the chickens hatch.

Lead author Adriana Pedroso, a post-doctoral researcher in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, and her colleagues incubated more than 300 eggs and dipped them into a light bleach solution before extracting the embryos using sterile tools. DNA analysis revealed a diverse community of bacteria within the intestines of the developing embryos. Pedroso and her colleagues hypothesize that the bacteria was able to penetrate the surface of the shell to the egg white, which is then ingested by the developing embryo.

Study co-author John Maurer, professor of population health, said the finding could lead to better methods for promoting growth in poultry and for reducing the risk of food-borne illness.

Establishing a community of healthy bacteria in the birds is thought to make it more difficult for pathogenic bacteria to establish themselves, but studies on the effectiveness of probiotics have shown mixed results. Maurer said it appears now that the timing of probiotic administration is important.

Currently, most probiotics are administered after the chicks have hatched, but the study suggests probiotics might need to be administered in the egg itself to get better results, Maurer said.