Study the Immunomodulatory effects of Beta - Glucan in broiler chickens Nidhal Raoof Mahdi and Haider Abed AL-Abass

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the immunomodulating activity of β-glucan
which extracted from the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.β-glucan of 225µg/ml was
supplemented in drinking water of broiler chicken vaccinated with Newcastle disease virus
(NDV) vaccine. The parameters of the immunomodulating activity employed were the body
weight, Phagocytic activity and determination of antibody titer to NDV vaccine. Chicks one
day old (120), were divided into four equal groups, G1 treated with β-glucan for six weeks
and vaccinated with NDV vaccine; G2 treated with β-glucan for three weeks and vaccinated
with NDV vaccine; G3 not given β-glucan but vaccinated with NDV vaccine (control group);
while G4 was not treated with β-glucan and not vaccinated with NDV vaccine (second
control). The results of the body weight indicated that; there were significant differences (P<
0.05) between treated groups (G1 and G2) compared to the control groups (G3 and G4) at
21,28 and 35 day of age. The results of phagocytic activity showed that treated group had
significantly (P< 0.05) higher clearance of carbon particles from blood circulation than did the
control groups; and the antibody titer to NDV showed significant differences (P<0.05)
between treated and non treated groups at 14d and 28d. The data presented in this study
contribute for the first time in Iraq; that β –glucan given via drinking water to chicks from day
one for 35 days improves the immune responses and body weight.