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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of starch granules enriched with carvacrol and mixed with straw pellets (as poultry litter) on the mortality of larvae and adults of the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus Panzer, a cosmopolitan pest inhabiting chicken houses in vast numbers worldwide. Additionally, the effect of starch granules on the growth parameters and survival of broiler chickens exposed to treated litter was examined. In this study, granules containing 3, 5, and 10% carvacrol was used. In a simulated chicken house bioassay, this material was mixed with pellets in three different proportions 30/70%, 40/60%, and 50/50% (granules/pellets, respectively). On this medium, young larvae (approximately 10 days old), older larvae (last stage before pupa), and unsexed 7-10 days old adults of the lesser mealworm, with access to food, were colonized. Experiments were performed at 29°C in the dark. The study shows that poultry litter with the addition of starch granules enriched with 10% of carvacrol in the proportion of 4060% (granulespellets) appears to be the optimal medium applicable to broiler houses for A. diaperinus control. In this environment, all larvae and adults died within 3-4 days and the overall development of the experimental chickens was similar to that of the control. However, the feed conversion rate was slightly higher in the treated group (1.72) than in the control group (1.56). The average final body weight in the treated group was 100 g lower than that in the control group (the differences were not statistically significant).Adjuvants are common vaccine components. Novel adjuvants may improve the protective immunity conferred by vaccines against poultry diseases. Here, a less-hemolytic saponin, platycodin D (PD), isolated from the root of Platycodon grandiflorum was investigated as a potential alternative adjuvant. PD was tested as an adjuvant in the infectious bronchitis (IB) vaccine, because the existing IB vaccine has often failed to induce effective immune responses. The adjuvant activity of PD in conjunction with IB vaccine was evaluated in this study. Compared to control treatment, PD treatment significantly increased the proliferation of chicken peripheral blood mononuclear cells, concentration of interferon-γ in culture supernatants, and anti-IB antibody titer. In chickens pre-challenged with the Mass 41 infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), PD administration resulted in fewer and less severe clinical signs, lower mortality rate, and higher protection compared to control treatment. Histopathological examination showed that the lungs and kidneys of PD-treated chickens displayed fewer pathological lesions than those of control chickens. Our results also demonstrated that this new vaccine adjuvant improved chicken humoral and cellular immune responses without any side effects. Hence, our findings suggest that PD might serve as an effective adjuvant in IBV vaccines.Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) infection in chickens inhibits their growth and can lead to food-borne diseases in humans. Probiotics are expected to enhance the function of host intestinal barrier against pathogen infection. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of viable Lactobacillus reuteri (LR) on the response of the mucosal barrier function to antigen stimulation in broiler chicks. Day-old male (n=8) and female (n=4) broiler chicks were orally administered either 1 × 108 LR or a water-only control, every day for 7 days. After 7 days, either 1 × 108 heat-killed ST (k-ST), or a buffer-only control, was administered via intra-cardiac injection. The ileum and cecum were collected 3 h post-injection, and paraffin sections were prepared for either mRNA extraction (males), or gut permeability tests (females). Villus and crypt lengths were determined via histological analysis. Real-time PCR was used to calculate expression levels of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), pro-inflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines, avian β-defensins, and tight-junction-associated molecules. selleck compound Gut permeability was assessed using the inverted intestine method. We found that (1) expression of TLR2-1, TLR21, TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 were reduced following k-ST stimulation, but were unaffected by LR-treatment; (2) oral administration of LR led to increased Claudin1, Claudin5, ZO2, and JAM2 expression following k-ST stimulation; (3) cecal permeability was reduced by co-treatment with LR and k-ST, but not by treatment with LR or k-ST alone. These results suggest that LR, as used in this study, may enhance the intestinal mucosal physical barrier function, but not the expression of other immune-related factors in newly hatched chicks.This study aimed to modify the feed mixtures of laying hens to enrich the consumer eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). One hundred and twenty Tetra-SL laying hens used in the study were divided into three groups of 40 laying hens arranged in five repetitions C, control with 5% soybean oil; E1, 0.5% fish oil + 0.5% microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum; and E2, 0.75% fish oil + 0.75% microalgae. The composition of the mixtures was balanced at the level of 17.5% raw protein and 11.81 MJ/kg metabolic energy (ME). Feed and water were provided ad libitum, and the experiment lasted for 21 days. In this study, the different physical and chemical properties of eggs, the fatty acid profile and lipid oxidation of fat in egg yolks were analyzed. The results of the study showed that the weight of the egg yolk and that of the shell depended on the feeding treatments (P=0.014 and P less then 0.001), and the weight of eggs and basic parts, as well as the thickness of the shell depended on the storage duration (P less then 0.001). The storage time affected the pH of egg yolks and albumen and the reduction in Haugh units and albumen height (P less then 0.001). Significant differences were observed in the content of ALA, DHA, ∑n-3 PUFA (mg/100 g) and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio between the C and E1/E2 egg groups (P less then 0.001). The results of the study indicate that it is sufficient to use a lower level of fish oil and the microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum in hens’ feed to achieve a satisfactory increase in n-3 PUFA in eggs, while maintaining optimal values of egg quality and freshness indicators.