Table 12.
Effect of drinking water acidification on the mean E. coli, Clostridium spp., Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacterium counts (log ± SEM) in the ceca of broiler chicks experimentally challenged by C. jejuni.
| Tested Bacteria | Experimental Groups | p Value | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | E | F | ||
| 15th day * | |||||||
| E. coli | 5.08 ± 0.35 | 4.86 ± 0.42 | 4.75 ± 0.19 | 5.08 ± 0.73 | 0.951 | ||
| Clostridium spp. | 4.70 ± 0.25 b# | 4.80 ± 0.32 b# | 4.15 ± 0.42 b# | 3.50 ± 0.29 a# | 0.073 | ||
| Lactobacilli | 7.03 ± 0.20 | 6.96 ± 0.23 | 6.82 ± 0.48 | 6.42 ± 0.32 | 0.525 | ||
| Bifidobacterium | 6.53 ± 0.14 | 6.02 ± 0.21 | 6.43 ± 0.36 | 6.24 ± 0.09 | 0.347 | ||
| 39th day | |||||||
| E. coli | 5.45 ± 0.15 | 4.96 ± 0.48 | 5.29 ± 0.29 | 5.25 ± 0.40 | 5.96 ± 0.61 | 5.16 ± 1.16 | 0.891 |
| Clostridium spp. | 4.00 ± 0.00 a | 5.70 ± 0.00 b | 5.63 ± 0.27 b | 5.78 ± 0.07 b | 5.12 ± 0.52 b | 5.72 ± 0.19 b | 0.014 |
| Lactobacilli | 7.04 ± 0.74 | 6.63 ± 0.33 | 7.38 ± 0.24 | 7.35 ± 0.35 | 7.38 ± 0.15 | 6.45 ± 0.15 | 0.425 |
| Bifidobacterium | 7.03 ± 0.42 | 6.73 ± 0.31 | 6.35 ± 0.35 | 6.48 ± 0.30 | 6.60 ± 0.30 | 5.90 ± 0.45 | 0.442 |
a,b Means in the same row with a different superscript differ significantly (p ≤ 0.05). # Means in the same row with a different superscript differ significantly (p ≤ 0.10). * For the period 1–18 days, groups A, B, and C were considered as one (controls), as birds in these groups received only tap water (without any treatment), and the challenge by C. jejuni was not yet applied.