Preventive effect of partially hydrolyzed guar gum on infection of Salmonella enteritidis in young and laying hens

The preventive effect of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) on the colonization of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) in young and laying hens was investigated. The effects of feed supplemented with 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1% PHGG was examined on young hens orally infected with SE. The incidence of SE in organs was decreased, the excretion of SE into feces was increased, and the agglutinating antibody titer to SE in serum was decreased by the administration of PHGG to young hens. In particular, feed supplemented with 0.025% PHGG was the most effective. It was also shown that feed supplemented with 0.025% PHGG increased the number of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp., the most numerous intestinal bacteria in the cecum of young hen. The effect of the excretion of SE via feces was also observed in an experiment using laying hens. The incidence of SE on the surface of the eggshell and in egg white and egg yolk was also decreased when the feed of laying hens was supplemented with 0.025% PHGG. These results show that the administration of feed supplemented with PHGG can prevent the colonization of SE in young and laying hens, which, in turn, could be related to improvement in the balance of intestinal microflora.