Mealworm and Superworm probiotics can be an alternative to antibiotics for treatment of Salmonella and E. coli infection in broiler chicks

Numerous studies related to chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives have antimicrobial potential. In this recent study, probiotic formulation derived from dry mealworm and dry superworm were assessed to find out if these can be alternatives to conventinal antibiotics in broiler chicks. A total of 240 one-day old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments consisting of ten replications with eight birds each in a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments were, (i) control (basal diet), (ii) 0.4% DMLP (basal diet + 0.4% DMLP, DM basis), and (iii) 0.4% DSMLP (basal diet + 0.4% DSMLP, DM basis). On day one, 1 mL of mixed broth agar consisting of 2.4 × 107 cfu Salmonella enteritidis KCTC 2021 and 3.7 × 107 cfu Escherichia coli KCTC 2571 was injected orally into each chick. After one week, growth performance, immunity, mortality, internal organ weight, and cecal and fecal microbiota were investigated.

Results showed that the Average Daily Gain (ADG) and Average daily feed intake (ADFI) were increased. Mortality was decreased with increasing IgG and IgA levels. At the end of the experiment, E. coli and Salmonella spp. contents in the cecum of the chicks were reduced making the dry mealworm and dry superworm meals an alternative to antibiotics in broiler diets.

The immune status of broilers can also be due to the presence of chitin in the exoskeleton of insects and larvae in DMLP and DSMLP meal. In particular, chitosan can store antioxidants and exhibits antimicrobial activity against bacteria, molds and yeasts (Cutter, 2006; Portes et al., 2009). Recent studies of humans and mice (Neyrinck et al., 2011, 2012; Brownawell et al., 2012) suggested that chitin may be useful to restoration of the compositional balance of the microbial community and improving colonic function, even when a high fat diet is consumed. Chitosan is a very promising biopolymer and it exhibits good film-forming properties (Bordenave et al., 2007; Bourtoom and Chinnan, 2008) combined with antimicrobial activity. Fermentation of insect larvae with probiotics may also increase the immunoglobulin level of broiler chicks. Probiotic products have been reported to have beneficial effects on modulation of intestinal microflora (Koenen et al., 2004; Teo and Tan, 2007; Mountzouris et al., 2010), pathogen inhibition (Mallo et al., 2010; Mountzouris et al., 2010), immunomodulation, and gut mucosal immunity (Koenen et al., 2004; Teo and Tan, 2007; Mountzouris et al., 2010).

Citation:
Md. Manirul Islam and Chul-Ju Yang. (2017). Efficacy of mealworm and super mealworm larvae probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics challenged orally with Salmonella and E. coli infection in broiler chicks. Poultry Science. Volume 96, Issue 1, January 2017, Pages 27-34. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pew220

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