Lactobacillus spp. samples used in Brazilian work showed no probiotic potential in chicks when inoculated in ovo, in relation to Salmonella Enteritidis inhibition in poultry caeca.

That is the conclusion of R.A. Yamawaki and colleagues at São Paulo State University (UNESP) for an experiment examining the effect of immersion and inoculation in ovo of Lactobacillus spp. in embryonated chicken eggs in the prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis after hatch.

In their paper published in Poultry Science, they explain that the protection level against Salmonella Enteritidis was evaluated in chickens after in ovo treatment with different species of Lactobacillus spp. inoculated into the air cell or by immersion in broth culture.

A total of 240 embryonated eggs were distributed into eight groups, corresponding to treatments with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus salivarius and control.

On day 18 of incubation, four groups were inoculated with 0.1mL of inoculum in the air cell and four groups were immersed for three minutes in culture of each treatment.

Two days after hatching, 0.5mL of Salmonella Enteritidis culture was inoculated by the intraesophageal route.

On day 5 of life, the chicks were euthanised and the caeca were processed to obtain Salmonella Enteritidis counts.

Yamawaki and colleagues found no decrease in Salmonella Enteritidis colonisation of chick caeca, regardless of treatment or route of administration.

Reference

^{Yamawaki R.A., E.L. Milbradt, M.P. Coppola, J.C.Z. Rodrigues, R.L. Andreatti Filho, C.R. Padovani and A.S. Okamoto. 2013. Effect of immersion and inoculation in ovo of Lactobacillus spp. in embryonated chicken eggs in the prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis after hatch. Poult. Sci. 92(6):1560-1563. doi: 10.3382/ps.2012-02936}