Abstract
The risk of developing antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria is a major concern in poultry production. The aim of this paper was to evaluate a number of commercially available products as alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in broiler's feed. Six experimental treatments [T1 = unmediated feed (negative control, NC); T2 = unmediated feed plus bacterial challenge (positive control, PC); T3 = feed plus antibiotic (NEOX); T4 = feed plus probiotic (GALI); T5 = feed plus prebiotic (TECHNO); and T6 = feed plus probiotic and prebiotic (SYM)] were used in this study. A total of 240 one-day-old chicks were utilized in the growth trial for 42 days. The birds in T2 to T6 were challenged with an oral dose of Clostridium perfringens. Data demonstrated that poor performance was found in the broilers infected with C. perfringens that did not receive any types of medication (negative control). In conclusion, the antibiotic (NEOX), probiotic (GALI) and prebiotic (TECHNO) were able to eradicate the negative impacts of bacterial stress. In addition, the birds receiving GALI and TECHNO had similar performance to those receiving NEOX.