Intestinal integrity and performance of turkeys subjected to inoculation of Salmonella Enteritidis and a diet supplemented with lactulose

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of lactulose (0.03 mL kg-1) on the intestinal health and weight gain of turkeys subjected to the inoculation of Salmonella serovar (sv.) Enteritidis (SE). A total of 280 turkeys, with one day of age, were distributed in the following treatments: T1, negative control; T2, group that received only lactulose; T3, group subjected to the inoculation of approximately 7.0x105 CFU mL-1 SE; and T4, group subjected to the inoculation of approximately 7.0x105 CFU mL-1 SE and treated with lactulose. Poultry performance was evaluated weekly, and seven turkeys from each treatment were euthanized to collect duodenum and jejunum fragments for the histomorphometric analysis. A lower weight gain was observed in the group that received only the pathogen, and the best performance was observed in the lactulose-treated group. The histomorphometric analysis showed a higher villus:crypts ratio in the duodenum and jejunum samples of the negative control and of the group of turkeys at 7 and 21 days of age treated with the lactulose-supplemented diet. Lactulose allows of a better intestinal development of turkeys until 42 days of age, but it does not interfere with poultry performance.