Effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus on growth in Salmonella gallinarum infected broilers

Day old commerciai broiler chicks were divided into four groups of forty birds each. Two groups were provided with a control diet throughout the six week period of experimentation and the other two with 10⁸ CFU ofLactobacillus acidophilus per day per bird in the diet for first two weeks of life. Birds from treatment as well as control groups were challenged orally with 10⁷ CFU ofSalmonella gallinarum per bird at two-weeks of age. Salmonella infected birds which were not per bird at twoweeks of age. Salmonella infected birds which were not pre-treated with lactobacillus showed clinical signs of dullness, inappetence, reduced growth rate and diarrhoea whereas lactobacillus pre-treated birds didn't show any clinical signs after challenging with S. gallinarum, Lactobacillus fed noninfected birds showed better FCR over the non-infected birds on control diet. A poor FCR was recorded in salmonella infected birds maintained on control diet compared to lactobacillus pre-treated birds later challenged with S. gallinarum.