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PROVIMI RESEARCH

Synergy of organic acids and essential oils


A trial was conducted at 'De Viersprong' one of the research center of Provimi, to
evaluate the synergistic mechanism between organic acids and essential oils. The study
was conducted with male Ross broilers. Both organic acids and essential oils are given
through water three days a week between 0-35 days. Both the treatments improved
weight gain and FCR especially between 0-28 days. Treatment with both essential oils

UPDATE
and organic acid showed better performance as compared to organic acids alone.
BULLETIN FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY
Enzyme activity influenced by particle size of feed Published in the Interest of Customer Education VOL. 11 NO. 3
2003
Provimi research at Polska evaluated the interaction bet level of training of feed
and activity of enzymes like xylanase and -glucanase in pigs. The highest Dear reader,
weight gain and better FCR was seen in pigs fed with coarsely ground
Gout is a condition where uric acid accumulates in the blood and body fluids. The causes are nutritional factors, infectious
supplemented with enzymes rather than fine powder. This preliminary study causes and toxicities. Control of Gout is possible by providing plenty of water, avoiding protein diet higher than the
concludes that the nature of the diet has major bearing on optimal activity of recommended level and several other ways as indicated in this newsletter. Communication requires to be two ways to
enzymes. encourage us to keep writing, so we are offering.......... to all those who respond to our questions on the last page.
Happy reading!
Bharat Tandon

Do you have any suggestion for Take a pen and paper and Today's bird is genetically
topics of interest to be covered in Vetcare Bulletin?
Do you have any proposal for
new products that can be useful in poultry and dairy industries?
right now!
Avian Gout engineered for higher productivity.
Selection is based on production
parameters. In the process, the
health of the vital organs is ignored.
This has resulted in increased
Do you have any useful and interesting information Send them to us with your name, incidence of metabolic disorders.
or an anecdote or even a small piece of humour to address and email (if available) The kidney is one such vital organ of
share with other readers of Vetcare Bulletin? the bird with diverse metabolic and
and get rewarded. excretory functions, viz.:
Maintaining the chemical
composition of body fluids

TheFuture Chicken Removal of metabolic waste and


toxic products
This new restaurant opens in town after a grand function with its unique Regulation of blood pressure and
selling proposition as "The Only Eating Place Where You Get THE blood volume
DISHES OF THE FUTURE". Conservation of fluids and
Our friend, the unsuspecting Sham goes to this place with an empty electrolytes.
stomach, with lots of appetite and with lots and lots of excitement of
tasting the stuff of the future.
Ordering a full plate of "FUTURE CHICKEN", the costliest and the
most fascinating item on the menu, Sham sits with his knife and fork The kidney is affected by a number of specific diseases and signs observed are shifting leg lameness with joints
ready for the Grand Kill. disorders. One of the important disorders associated with becoming warm, swollen and tender. It is a condition in
What he gets a little later is a plate of hot and sizzling Omlet.
kidney damage is GOUT. Gout is a condition in which chickens that has been recognized for more than 30 years.
kidney function has decreased to the point where uric acid Visceral gout is considered to be the acute form of the
Puzzled, Sham holds the point with the bearer that he brought the accumulates in the blood and body fluids. Avian gout is a disease causing huge mortality and characterized by urate
wrong order. The bearer calmly claims its perfectly right. Sham asks metabolic condition where abnormal accumulation of white, deposits on serosal surfaces, most often in the liver,
how and the bearer replies, "It is indeed the Dish of the Future. If this chalky uric acid or urates occurs in soft tissues of various kidney, pericardium, heart and air sacs. Visceral gout is
egg in the omlet was left to hatch and the little chick was allowed to organs in the body. There are two major forms of gout more common in broilers as young as 2-3 days old. In
grow, probably it would become a big Chick in the future." differentiated by the sites of uric acid deposition - visceral layers, pullets above 14 weeks are more likely to be
Sham faints. and articular gout. In both forms, deposits consist of needle- affected.
shaped crystals called tophi. In birds, uric acid is the end product of nitrogen
Edited and published by Bharat Tandon for Vetcare, Divn. of Tetragon Chemie Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Published from IS-40, KHB Industrial Area,
Yelahanka New Town, Bangalore 560 064 India Ph : 080-846 2055/56 Designed and printed by Focus Communications, Bangalore 560 003. Ph : 080-3463264. Articular gout is considered to be the chronic form of the metabolism. Uric acid is a nitrogenous waste from protein
e-mail: directmarketing@vetcareindia.com www.vetcareindia.com disease and is less common. Lesions observed are urate breakdown. In mammals, it is converted to less harmful
deposition around joints, ligaments and tendon sheaths. substances with the help of the enzyme uricase. But in
There is a prediliction for peripheral articulations. Clinical birds, this enzyme is absent. Hence, uric acid is the final
l Excess of protein: More than 30% of protein in the diet causes
excessive uric acid production which in turn, creates an excretory l Review IB vaccination programme. In areas where IB is endemic it l If the transportation of chicks from hatchery to farm is too long
load on the kidney. At the same time, the presence of sulphates is advisable to vaccinate with nephrotropic strain at around 4 days. ensure proper temperature and humidity to avoid dehydration.
decreases calcium resorption causing excessive calcium Day one beak dip vaccination has proved to be beneficial in
secretion through urine. This condition favors gout. broilers.
In conclusion, kidney damage can occur due to a variety of reasons
l Water deprivation: leads to concentration of uric acid and other l Use of urine acidifiers. Ammonium sulphate 5.0 g/kg and
and results in accumulation of uric acid crystals in the body. Hence,
minerals in the blood and later in the kidney. Water deprivation ammonium chloride 10 g/kg increases the acidity of the urine and
prevention and control of gout requires a multifaceted approach in
especially in summer is dangerous. This can happen during helps in uric acid excretion.
transportation of birds or due to blockage of nipples, inadequate terms of management, disease control and nutrition. Although gout
l Meet the dietary calcium and phosphorus level carefully. It is better
number of waterers, extra height of water lines, overcrowding, has been recognized for some time as a cause of pullet and broiler
to provide calcium in the form of grit rather than powder as grit
water withholding for long durations during vaccination, etc. Hard chick mortality, it continues to be a diagnostic challenge. Chickens
dissolves slowly and helps to maintain blood calcium level.
water with higher metallic salt content is also a load on the kidney. affected by renal damage can continue to be productive until less
l Analyse the feed for mycotoxin content and if found positive than one-third of their normal kidney mass remains functional.
change the feed or use suitable toxin binders. Compensatory enlargement of remaining normal kidney tissue is

b INFECTIOUS CAUSES OF GOUT


The major infectious causes include Avian Nephritis virus, infectious
l Regular checking of watering system for height, blockage,
adequate flow of water, etc.
l Judicious use of drugs which cause kidney damage.
responsible for maintaining adequate renal function, at least for a
while. Gout, when recognized as a problem in the field, is likely to be a
multi-factorial problem and identifying a specific cause is often
bronchitis and baby chick nephropathy. Infectious Bronchitis (IB) of difficult. Another reason for diagnostic difficulty is that kidney damage
l Ensure adequate levels of AB2D3K and B complex vitamins
nephrotropic strain causes gout in chicken. The virus causes severe occurring during the growing period often has no apparent signs until
kidney damage. Sub-clinical infection combined with other factors l Excessive use of sodium bicarbonate, i.e. more than 2 kg/ton the birds later come into egg production and are fed high-calcium
like high protein, high calcium, etc. results in gout. This is common should be avoided. diets. Field cases and research have demonstrated the importance
especially in younger chicks as they pick up infections in the early l Use of electrolytes through water may assist in controlling mortality. of interaction between two or more contributing factors, especially
excretory product. Uric acid is produced mainly in the liver and is
stages. nutrition, management and infectious causes.
excreted by the kidneys. High blood levels of uric acid favor its l In acute cases, potassium chloride 1 g/litre can be used.
precipitation in tissues. Uric acid is not toxic but precipitated crystals Thorough investigation to determine the cause of kidney damage
can cause mechanical damage to tissues. Whenever there is kidney l Provide broken maize at least for 3 days and jaggery 5 g/ltr for 3-5
damage, excretion of uric acid gets affected and uric acid starts
accumulating in the blood and later in tissues. In gout, blood levels of
uric acid can be as high as 44 mg / 100 ml as compared to 5.7 mg /100
c TOXIC CAUSES
Various chemicals and toxins are involved in kidney damage:
days in acute cases of mortality. and gout helps in streamlining therapeutic and control measures.

ml in a normal bird.
l Mycotoxin: Mycotoxins are the most common cause of kidney
The causes of gout are many as kidney damage occurs due to damage and among mycotoxins, ochratoxins and oosporin are Differences between Visceral Gout and Articular Gout in Birds
multietiological factors. The causes of gout can be broadly important. The combination of ochratoxins with aflatoxin is found
categorized as: to be more dangerous. Because of kidney damage uric acid Visceral gout Articular gout
l Nutritional and metabolic factors
excretion is reduced resulting in accumulation of uric acid in the
body. 1. Onset It is usually an acute condition but can be chronic It is usually a chronic disease.
l Infectious causes
l Toxicity and other reasons. l Antibiotics like gentamycin, sulfonamides and nitrofurosones are 2. Frequency It is very common. It is rare or sporadic.
known to cause renal damage especially in young chicks. The 3. Age 1 day and above. 4-5 months and above. However, in

a NUTRITIONAL CAUSES OF GOUT


l
drugs, which get excreted through the kidney,have their own
imbalancing effect on pH and renal metabolism.
Disinfectants like Phenol and Cresol, if used erroneously, cause
immature, genetically susceptible chickens, may
be induced by high protein levels in the diet.
Excess dietary calcium with low available phosphorus results in 4. Sex Both males and females are susceptible. Mostly males.
precipitation of calcium-sodium-urate crystals. High levels of vitamin residual toxicity.
5. Causes a. Infectious a. Genetics
D3 can also increase calcium absorption from the gut which can favor l Copper sulphate used in water results in water refusal, dehydration b. Nutritional b. High protein in the diet
formation and deposition of urate crystals. and gout. c. Toxic c. Others
l Excessive use of sodium bicarbonate: Sodium bicarbonate is Gout is characterized by depression, dehydration and sometimes,
6. Pathogenesis It is generally due to failure of urate excretion It is probably due to a metabolic defect in the
used to combat heat stress and thus improve egg shell quality in greenish diarrhea. Affected chicks appear dull with ruffled feathers
(renal failure). secretion of urates by the kidney tubules.
layers. This results in alkalinity of urine favoring kidney stone and moist vent. Mortality among young chicks is high. There is
formation. irregular and excessive enlargement of kidney lobules and cutting 7. Gross lesions Kidneys are almost always involved and they Kidneys are normal. Kidneys may become
open the kidney reveals urate crystals. Chalky white deposition of Kidney look grossly abnormal with deposition of white, abnormal with white urate deposits if the bird gets
l Prolonged Vitamin A deficiency causes sloughing of tubular
urate crystals is seen all over the visceral organs like the heart, liver chalky precipitates. dehydrated.
epithelium and subsequent blockade resulting in accumulation of
urates in the kidney. However, incidence of gout due to Vit A and kidney, under the skin, etc.
Soft tissues Visceral organs like liver, myocardium, spleen or Soft tissues other than synovium are rarely
deficiency is least under field conditions. serosal surfaces like pleura, pericardium, air sacs, involved. However, comb, wattles, and trachea
mesentery, etc. are commonly involved have been observed to be involved.
l Excess Sodium: Gout due to sodium intoxication is seen in
younger birds when the sodium level exceeds 0.4% in water and
0.8% in feed. This generally happens when fishmeal is used in the
d CONTROL OF GOUT 8. Microscopic lesions Generally no inflammatory reaction in synovium or
visceral surfaces. Kidney has inflammatory reaction
Granulomatous inflammation in synovium and
other tissues.
l Provide plenty of water
diet (even with normal salt content), since fishmeal is rich in salt around tophus.
content. Total content of sodium chloride in feed should not exceed l Avoid a diet higher in protein than the recommended level as per
0.3 %. the age and breed. Table Ref: H. L. Shivaprasad. University of California, Davis

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