Abstract
The effects of three commercial organic acids and neoxyval, a reference antibiotic, on serum enzyme activity, hematological and biochemical indices were examined in a 6-wk trial. Chicks in all treatments except for the control were inoculated with (3 x 10(9) CFU mL(-1)) of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) when they were 16 d old. The birds received one of the following six treatments: positive control (CTL+), negative control (CTL-), antibiotic (NEOX), Gallimix (GALI), FormaXOL (FORMA), and Fysal (FYS) on day 1. Albumin, globulin and globulin-to-albumin ratio were influenced by the Salmonella strain challenge (P<0.001). Globulin, which is associated with the immune system in the body, increased after the ST challenge while albumin decreased. Treatments had a significant effect on aspartate aminotransferase (AST) after the ST challenge (P<0.05). Higher AST levels were obtained from birds that received the antibiotic NEOX or the negative control, which could be an indication of liver damage in the broilers. The ST challenge had an impact on serum albumin, globulin and hepatic enzymes. The results suggest that organic acids had a positive influence in alleviating the negative effects of the Salmonella challenge on hepatic cells.