International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2005 Feb 15;98(3):309-18.

Purified beta-glucan as an abiotic feed additive up-regulates the innate immune response in immature chickens against Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.

Lowry VK, Farnell MB, Ferro PJ, Swaggerty CL, Bahl A, Kogut MH.Texas A&M University, Department of Anatomy, College Station, TX 77843, USA. lowry@ffsru.usda.gov

Functionally, the innate immune system of immature chickens is inefficient during the first week posthatch. This immunological inefficiency enables pathogens such as Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) to invade and colonize the visceral organs of immature chickens. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of purified beta-glucan as an immunomodulator of the innate immune response. beta-glucan, as a feed additive, significantly provided protection against SE organ invasion in young chickens (P<0.05).>

To our knowledge, this is the first report of a purified beta-glucan feed additive significantly decreasing the incidence of SE organ invasion in immature chickens and up-regulating the functional abilities of heterophils isolated from immature chickens against an invading pathogen, SE.

PMID: 15698692 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

This article may be purchased for $30.00 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=

Abstract&list_uids=15698692&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=2

Submitted to: World Veterinary Poultry AssociationPublication Acceptance Date: July 21, 2003

Technical Abstract: The innate immune system of neonatal poultry is immunologically inefficient during the first week post-hatch, enabling pathogens such as Salmonella enteritidis to invade and colonize the visceral organs. Beta-glucan (in vitro) is well documented in the literature as an immunopotentiator of neutrophils and macrophages in mammals. The premise of the present study was to demonstrate the efficacy of Beta-glucan, a feed supplement, (in vivo) to decrease the incidence of SE organ invasion in neonatal poultry. The data herein demonstrate a significant difference (P<0.05)>

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As far as cost effectivness, the cost to add Agrastim to the diet of Broiler chickens for their ENTIRE LIFETIME is less than 3 cents per broiler.

Regards,

-zties