Phileo by Lesaffre > Broilers > Broilers Immune modulation and antibody titers

Immune modulation and antibody titers

Disease prevention demands a global approach to understanding pathogen contamination and the application of on-farm cleaning and disinfection procedures. Biosecurity is vital.

All the stresses that make birds more sensitive to disease must be controlled by good farm management. Phileo by Lesaffre has developed solutions that complement existing controls, making birds more resistant to disease.

Safmannan^®, a premium yeast parietal fraction, rich in mannans and beta-glucans 1.3 and 1.6, helps maintain good gut integrity, preventing pathogenic bacteria contamination (such as E.coli, Salmonella and Clostridium). It also helps improve immune system functioning and the birds’ response to vaccines.

Raising the barriers of the innate immune system

It is possible to help the adaptive immune system to be more efficacious after a vaccination. This specific reaction is associated with a non-specific one, called the innate immunity.

The first defence line is composed of physical barriers (skin, epithelium, tight junction, mucus on epithelial cells, trachea cilia flutter, gut peristalsis), chemical barriers (fatty acids, lysozyme, proventricular pH acidity, antibacterial peptides), and microbiologic barriers.

The second defence line is composed of phagocytes, able to eliminate bacteria opsonized by the complement system, and mast cells, able to ‘wake up’ the immune system when there is an infection. Finally it is composed of natural killer cells, able to kill directly virus infected cells or tumour cells.

Preserving good gut integrity

As 70% of the bird immune system capacity is located in the digestive tract, it is important to preserve good gut integrity. The chronic intestinal inflammation, due to the high feed intake of modern poultry breeds, has to be controlled. Safmannan can help the innate immune system to be better prepared against an infection. This is done via the following mode of actions:

• Pathogen binding
• Increased goblet cells number
• Modulation of inflammation

Effects of Safmannan^® on immune system modulation

Several R&D farm trials prove these effects, following various different vaccinations, such as Newcastle Disease (ND) or Avian Influenza (H5 or H9). In this trial, broilers were vaccinated at 10 days old with a live ND vaccine and fed with either a feed supplemented with Safmannan^® or a control feed. Blood samples were taken 1 week and 2 weeks after vaccination and analysed by HI-test. Two weeks after vaccination, the vaccine response in the Safmannan^® supplemented group was significantly higher than in the control group.

Effects of yeast beta-glucan on trained immunity

Phileo by Lesaffre has also developed yeast beta-glucan product, in which beta-glucans 1.3 and 1.6 are purified and separated from the mannans fraction, reaching more than 50% of the composition of the product. Its activity is targeted on the immune system, while Safmannan^® has a broader effect.
Several in vivo trials have proved the beneficial effect of yeast beta-glucans in improving vaccine response.

In this trial, beta-glucans were used at 125g/T to show its effect after a vaccination against ND with an inactivated vaccine, injected at 12 and 24 days old. The vaccine response is faster and stronger compared to a vaccinated control group.