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.
Global Poultry Manager
Phileo by Lesaffre
Global Category Manager
Phileo by Lesaffre
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.
YEAST POSTBIOTIC’S PROVEN CONSISTENT EFFECTS
Preserving Gut Health
Numerous studies have shown that Safmannan®, a premium quality yeast postbiotic, has positive impact on the preservation of the broiler’s gut barrier and the reduction of Clostridium perfringens load in the intestinal tract, under various challenging conditions including heat stress challenge.
The intestinal environment represents a critical interface between nutrition and health. When this environment is compromised due to heat stress, it creates a pathway for pathogens to proliferate, leading to inflammation and reduced nutrient absorption. Maintaining physiological balance at the gut level is therefore essential for efficient feed conversion and growth in commercial poultry operations.
Cheng et al. observed that Safmannan® has the ability to help heat stressed-birds preserving their gut barrier and function, by increasing Mucin 2 secretion – main component of mucus, and gut tight junction proteins such as claudin-5. The same effects have been observed by Bungo et al. Birds in Safmannan® group, challenged by heat stress, exhibiting significant higher levels of Mucin 2 and claudin-5, compared to the ones in both non-challenged group and heat stress-challenged group (Figure 1 and 2).
Figure 2. Tight junction protein Claudin-5 at D21v
This indicates that Safmannan® helps preserve the birds’ gut barrier integrity and proper function under heat stress conditions.
Reducing Clostridium Perfringens Load
Various environmental and management factors can disrupt homeostasis in poultry, with heat stress being particularly problematic in many regions. When birds experience heat stress, they activate physiological mechanisms to dissipate heat, which often comes at the expense of productive functions. The resulting imbalance can lead to reduced feed intake, impaired gut function, and increased susceptibility to pathogens like C. perfringens.
Modern poultry production requires a deep understanding of these biological mechanisms to implement effective interventions. By supporting natural homeostatic processes, producers can minimize the negative impacts of stress factors and maintain optimal performance.
Santovito et al. have studied the effectiveness of Safmannan® in adsorbing Clostridium perfringens. The researchers used an equilibrium isotherm approach to measure the capability of Safmannan® to adsorb C. perfringens. The study found that Safmannan® can effectively absorb C. perfringens in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with high affinity and capacity. The researchers also observed that the adsorption of C. perfringens by Safmannan® resulted in a reduction in the viability of the pathogen. This suggests that the antimicrobial activity of Safmannan® against C. perfringens can be attributed to an adsorption mechanism, where the yeast postbiotic components bind to the bacterial cells and interfere with their metabolic functions.
Furthermore, Alqhatani et al. demonstrated that adding Safmannan® to broilers’ diet can significantly decrease Clostridium perfringens load in the gut of broilers reared under natural heat stress conditions, compared to the challenged, non-supplemented birds (Figure 3).
Improving Poultry Performance
In addition to its positive effects on gut barrier preservation and Clostridium perfringens reduction, Safmannan® has also been shown to help mitigate the detrimental effects of heat stress on broiler productivity. Multiple trials conducted in different regions around the world have demonstrated Safmannan® capacity to improve feed conversion ratios (FCR) and survival rates in broilers under severe heat stress conditions (Figure 4).
These improvements align with the fundamental principle that maintaining homeostasis leads to improved feed efficiency and better growth rates. When birds can allocate energy to productive functions rather than combating stress and pathogens, the economic benefits become evident through enhanced performance metrics.
By preserving gut integrity and reducing the risk of enteritis in broilers, Safmannan® enables broilers to better withstand the challenges of heat stress and maintain optimal performance. This makes Safmannan® a valuable tool in the battle against the negative impacts of heat stress in broiler production.
Implementation of management practices that support homeostatic balance is increasingly recognized as essential in modern poultry production. Nutritional strategies, including the use of specialized dietary solutions like Safmannan®, represent an effective approach to helping birds maintain physiological equilibrium even under challenging conditions.
Environmental controls that minimize stress are equally important, as they work synergistically with nutritional interventions to support optimal functioning. The economic benefits of supporting natural homeostatic processes translate directly to improved profitability, making these approaches highly relevant to poultry producers.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Safmannan® has been shown to be an effective solution in preserving the gut barrier and reducing the risk of Clostridium perfringens-induced enteritis in broilers under heat stress conditions. By adsorbing the pathogen and reducing its viability, Safmannan® helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier and enables broilers to better withstand the challenges of heat stress. The incorporation of Safmannan® into broiler heat stress management can enhance the resilience of the flock, optimize production efficiency, and ultimately, improve the profitability of broiler operations.
References
1. Cheng, Y. et al. (2019). Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and immune response of broilers under heat stress. Poultry Science, 100(1), 100805
2. Bungo et al., (2021), Evaluating the effect of Safmannan® supplementation on broiler chicks subjected to high ambient temperature, WPC 2021
3. Santovito, E. et al. (2019). Equilibrium Isotherm Approach to Measure the Capability of Yeast Cell Wall to Adsorb Clostridium perfringens. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 16(9), 1-8
4. Alqhatani, H. et al. (2024). Dietary supplementation of prebiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall promotes
About Dr. Alain Riggi
With extensive field experience as Chief Veterinarian in various poultry production companies, Dr. Alain Riggi joined MSD Animal Health in 2010. Since then, he has held several key roles, including Poultry Technical Director for Europe and North & West Africa. As poultry veterinarian, one of Dr. Riggi’s core missions at Phileo by Lesaffre is to help large poultry producers in the world (US, China, EU, Brazil, Thailand, etc.) to identify the issues in their farms and provide solutions.About Lin Wang
With over 15 years of experience in animal nutrition and health, including a decade specializing in the poultry sector, Lin Wang brings deep expertise to her role at Phileo by Lesaffre. She is passionate about advancing quality protein solutions to address global nutritional challenges. Through her work, Wang contributes to developing sustainable animal production systems that enhance both producer profitability and animal welfare, aligning scientific innovation with practical industry needs.
