Antibiotic reduction: What can phytogenic feed additives do?

The conventional variant to support performance is the use of antibiotic growth promoters. Feed additives have already been successfully implemented for years in exchange for AGPs. Among those alternative feed additives, one of the most promising is the group of phytogenic products.

Anne Möddel
Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition GmbH & Co. KG

One of the main objectives in livestock production is to reduce the use of antibiotics, which is also driven by consumer demand. In addition to therapeutic application, a high proportion is still used as an antibiotic growth promoter (AGPs). Reducing antibiotics, and especially AGPs, is an important factor in the reduction and prevention of resistances and supporting the sustainability of production. In this regard, a holistic approach should always be aimed for. This includes the farm management, farm health, the gut flora and integrity and the feed and nutrient intake. With the feed, industry and research are decisive in the development of innovations. A suitable AGP replacement should protect animals from negative effects and improve the health of the digestive system.

COCCIDIOSIS: A MAJOR CHALLENGE
One of the biggest challenges, for instance, in broiler production are still enteric infections. Coccidiosis and clostridium are the most economically important diseases. Usually they are diagnosed between the 3rd and 6th week. As soon as one of these diseases occurs, it stimulates an infection with the other. In consequence, animals are mostly stricken with both. In order to prevent an outbreak at all, it is therefore important to support and strengthen animals’ general condition.

To compare the efficiency of preventive measures, one possible method is to conduct challenge trials. In such challenge evaluations, Eimeria species are frequently used as a trigger for coccidiosis. In poultry there are seven actual valid species. One of them is Eimeria tenella, which is known to infect the caecum with a high pathogenicity and hemorrhagic inflammation. It causes a high morbidity and mortality. Eimeria tenella includes Eimeria spp., which is a well-known acquisition parameter in trials.

PHYTOGENIC ADDITIVES: A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE
The conventional variant to support performance is the use of antibiotic growth promoters. Feed additives have already been successfully implemented for years in exchange for AGPs.

Among those alternative feed additives, one of the most promising is the group of phytogenic products. These additives often contain medical plants, which have been in use for centuries all over the world for the treatment of human diseases. But does a phytogenic additive have the same effects as an antibiotic program during a challenge assessment with Eimeria spp.?

EIMERIA SPP. CHALLENGE: PHYTOGENIC VS. AGP
A challenge trial with broiler chicks was performed to evaluate the effect of a phytogenic additive (Anta®Phyt MO, Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition GmbH & Co. KG). For this, the impact of the phytogenic additive was compared to a negative control (NC) and a positive control (PC) with an AGP programme during the induced dysbiosis with Eimeria spp.

A total of 1,020 one-day old broiler chicks (ROSS 308) were randomly divided into three dietary treatment groups. Each group comprised 34 birds with 10 repetitions. All birds were fed in two nutritional phases (starter: 1–21 d and grower: 22–40 d) with a maize-soybean-meal-based diet in mash form. No additive was included in the NC while AGPs with coccidiostats were included in the PC group’s diet. The third group received a phytogenic feed additive (NC + 300 g/t Anta®Phyt MO, Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition GmbH & Co. KG).

On day 14, all birds were infected with a vaccinal strain of Eimeria spp. The pathogens were administered orally in the drinking water. The infections and intestinal immune response were assessed in terms of performance (21 d and 40 d) and the intestinal length as gut health factor (21 d).

PHYTOGENIC ADDITIVE: POSITIVE EFFECTS
The daily weight gain in the phytogenic group was significantly higher than that in the PC group over the 40-day trial. Additionally, a better FCR was observed and the mortality was lower in comparison to the NC and PC groups (Fig. 1).

Fig. 2: Intestinal length of broilers in the NC (no additive), PC (AGP) and Anta®Phyt MO groups.

These improvements result in an enhanced European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) in the group receiving Anta®Phyt MO (458) compared to the NC (445) and PC (438) groups. In terms of intestinal health, birds receiving the phytogenic additive had numerically longer intestines compared to the NC and PC groups (Fig. 2).

INTO AN AGP-FREE FUTURE
In modern animal husbandry it is possible to achieve high health and performance without the addition of AGPs. Anta®Phyt MO increases broiler performance during Eimeria spp. infection. The phytogenic feed additive shows better effects than an AGP programme in terms of weight gain, FCR, mortality and gut health.

Consequently, the phytogenic feed additive Anta®Phyt MO appears to be a beneficial and more sustainable alternative to the AGP programme investigated in the trial.

The phytogenic feed additive thus allows for a reduction of antibiotics and a higher performance at the same time – an issue of great significance when it comes to the future of human health and society.