TABLE 3.
Effect of dietary supplementation with organic acids in drinking water or in feed on the intestinal mucosal morphology of broilers exposed to Salmonella Pullorum challenge at 42 days.
| Items | Unchallenge control | Challenge control | Challenge + VGd | Challenge + OAe water | Challenge + OAe feed | Challenge + OAe water + OAe feed | P-value |
| Jejunum | |||||||
| Villus height (μm) | 1129.06 ± 237.24 | 1079.13 ± 81.93 | 1172.93 ± 223.76 | 1197.85 ± 77.19 | 1026.28 ± 76.94 | 1078.86 ± 125.83 | 0.437 |
| Crypt depth (μm) | 237.04 ± 23.48b | 293.6 ± 28.26a | 245.32 ± 13.30b | 221.78 ± 22.40b | 224.76 ± 55.12b | 242.94 ± 31.40b | 0.008 |
| Villus height:crypt depth ratio | 4.54 ± 0.49bc | 3.87 ± 0.31c | 4.78 ± 0.84ab | 5.55 ± 0.68a | 4.37 ± 0.70bc | 4.49 ± 0.64bc | 0.011 |
| Ileum | |||||||
| Villus height (μm) | 729.28 ± 81.61 | 704.28 ± 165.84 | 739.28 ± 194.71 | 796.85 ± 217.51 | 804.32 ± 97.68 | 748.4 ± 139.04 | 0.888 |
| Crypt depth (μm) | 195.3 ± 25.35 | 220.42 ± 45.58 | 208.02 ± 60.91 | 219.53 ± 35.15 | 195.57 ± 21.71 | 203.83 ± 32.19 | 0.786 |
| Villus height:crypt depth ratio | 3.77 ± 0.48 | 3.67 ± 0.45 | 3.60 ± 0.61 | 3.60 ± 0.57 | 4.15 ± 0.67 | 3.68 ± 0.40 | 0.497 |
a–cMeans within a row with no common superscript differ significantly (n = 8; P < 0.05). Data are means of eight replicates of a bird per replicate pen. dVG, virginiamycin feed grade premix. eOA, organic acids.