Several factors affecting the integrity of the digestive tract of chickens

The integrity of the digestive tract of poultry and any other animal should not be compromised. The digestive tract should be healthy and functioning from start to finish. Destruction of the integrity of the digestive tract will lead to the occurrence of disease, which in turn affects the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Therefore, attention should be paid to factors affecting the integrity of the digestive tract of the flock.

1 mycotoxins

Whenever the feed contaminates the fungus, the secondary metabolites of these fungi may accumulate in the feed and become toxic to the poultry. More than 200 fungal metabolites (mycotoxins) have been identified to date. Even if these mycotoxins are ingested very little, they often cause a decrease in poultry performance. However, only a few mycotoxins have been found to have a direct adverse effect on the integrity of the intestines of birds. The aflatoxin A is most damaging to the liver and kidney of the bird, and the mycotoxin can also cause an increase in intestinal brittleness. The wall of the intestine is very thin and often ruptures during processing, causing contamination of the carcass. Aflatoxin A increases its brittleness by reducing the cut strength of the intestines of birds. This increase in fragility is caused by the destruction of the normal collagen synthesis of the intestinal wall. Fusarium toxin has been reported to cause oral and gastrointestinal damage in laying hens and broilers, and oral lesions of Fusarium toxin poisoning are caseous necrosis.

2 melanin

Some derivatives of amino acids have been reported to have an adverse effect on the structural integrity of the gut. The brown pigment (protein melanin) that has emerged in the later stages of this brown reaction has been extensively studied, especially in rats. When the rats were fed a diet of 4% melanin (glucoside + glycine), morphological changes occurred in the intestinal wall. Melanin causes necrosis of the upper end of the small intestine villi and shedding of the villus epithelial cells. Morphological changes are thought not due to inflammation but due to mechanical wear similar to feeding high fiber diets.

3 biogenic amine

The concentration is usually very low and there is no problem with the animals under normal conditions. However, when bacterial contamination occurs in feed ingredients, the amount of these amines increases and may be toxic to animals, especially poultry. These amines include putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine, aniline and tryptamine. Biogenic amines, especially histamine, cause swelling of the anterior stomach, in which the glandular milk protrudes, the muscles and stomach are generally eroded, and the upper part of the intestine produces excess mucus containing a large amount of epithelial cells, and the overall destruction of the intestinal mucosa.

4 muscle gluten

Feeding the chicks with over-processed fishmeal can affect the integrity of the upper section of the digestive tract. Japanese scientists have isolated a very strong substance that causes muscle erosion in the overheated processed squid powder. This substance is called musculoskeletal. They measured this toxic amino acid by the combination of histidine and lysine. Muscle gastric sputum is a strong promoter of chicken gastric acid secretion, and its mechanism of action is similar to histamine. However, its effect is stronger than histamine, and its duration of action is longer than that of histamine.

5 oxidation products

Oxidation of individual feed ingredients or full-price diets can lead to the formation of undesirable compounds, and the ingestion of these undesirable compounds by poultry can cause a decrease in their performance. This "rancidity" effect leads to the formation of peroxides, the main target of which is the unsaturated bonds of fatty acids in the cell membrane fat molecules. The oxidation of these fats results in loss of membrane fluidity and receptor alignment, and even cell lysis. A small number of experimental studies have been carried out on poultry to specifically identify the harmful effects of peroxides on the integrity of the digestive tract. More research is needed in this area because the microbial flora of the digestive tract first faces these oxidation products. It has been reported that oxidized fat has a detrimental effect on the length of the intestinal villi, normal microbial flora, nutrient uptake and the immune system associated with the intestine. A better understanding of the effects of oxidation products in the digestive tract will help to explain the exact mechanism by which birds lose their performance when ingesting such products.

6 diseases

A large number of virulence factors have an adverse effect on the integrity of the digestive tract. One of the most common causes of poultry enteritis is coccidia. Under normal circumstances, healthy birds raised on the bedding should be able to respond to coccidia. A low level of constant stimulation by this parasite is essential for the development and maintenance of immune function. Enteritis can also be caused by nematodes and aphids, which often cause intestinal obstruction when their concentration in the intestine is high. One of the most common causes of necrotic enteritis is bacteria, and the more common bacteria associated with this is Clostridium perfringens. The toxin produced by this microorganism can cause extensive destruction of the intestinal mucosa. Necrotic enteritis has been shown to be associated with subclinical coccidiosis and increased intestinal viscosity when feeding poultry to grains such as rye, barley and wheat. The non-starch polysaccharides contained in these cereals can slow the normal circulation rate of intestinal chyme, which in turn leads to excessive growth of Clostridium perfringens. Hemorrhagic enteritis is caused directly by an adenovirus infection, which is common in turkeys. The tip of the intestinal villi is destroyed, causing bleeding in the upper part of the small intestine. Other viruses, such as reoviruses, rotaviruses, coronaviruses, parvoviruses, enteroviruses, and calcareous viruses, have been shown to cause damage to the mucosal mucosa that eventually leads to enteritis.