ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2025 31 Broiler production faces significant challenges when it comes to maintaining gut health and productivity, especially under heat stress conditions. One of the primary concerns is the increased risk of enteritis risk in broilers, driven by Clostridium perfringens proliferation and the development of necrotic enteritis, an important disease that can have severe consequences on broiler performance and producers’ profitability. HEAT STRESS: OPENING THE DOOR TO CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is an opportunistic pathogen that multiplies in the intestinal tract of broilers, particularly when there are excesses of nutrients and the gut barrier is compromised. Under heat stress conditions, broilers can have a cascade of physiological reactions such as the decrease of feed intake, poor nutrients’ absorption, furthermore in the broilers’ gut there can be disruption of the intestinal barrier function. All these changes can create favorable conditions allowing C. perfringens to proliferate and produce its potent toxins. The over-population of C. perfringens and its toxins can damage the intestinal epithelial cells, leading to necrosis and inflammation. This disruption of the intestinal barrier facilitates the bacteria and their toxins to penetrate deeper into the intestinal wall, further exacerbating the damage on broilers’ health and productivity. Heat stress compromises gut barrier function, creating favoring conditions for Clostridium perfringens proliferation and increased enteritis risk in broilers. Research demonstrates that specialized dietary solutions enhance mucosal integrity and tight junction protein expression while reducing pathogen load—translating to improved feed efficiency under challenging conditions. These findings reveal practical nutritional strategies that preserve gut homeostasis and maintain performance when temperatures rise. PRESERVING GUT INTEGRITY AND REDUCING ENTERITIS RISK IN BROILERS UNDER HEAT STRESS Dr. Alain Riggi Global Poultry Manager Phileo by Lesaffre Lin Wang Global Category Manager Phileo by Lesaffre
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