Influence of heat stress on intestinal integrity and the caecal microbiota during Enterococcus cecorum infection in broilers

Table 2 EC-associated clinical symptoms and gross lesions

Group	Clinical signs		Gross lesions
Group	Apathy	Lameness	Pericarditis	Perihepatitis	Splenomegaly	Spinal abscess	Osteomyelitis FH
Noninoculated, thermoneutral	1/86 (1.2%)^a	0/86 (0.0%)^a	0/86 (0.0%)^a	0/86 (0.0%)	0/86 (0.0%)^a	0/40 (0.0%)	0/40 (0.0%)
Noninoculated, heat stress	0/88 (0.0%)^a	0/88 (0.0%)^a	0/88 (0.0%)^a	0/88 (0.0%)	0/88 (0.0%)^a	0/40 (0.0%)	0/40 (0.0%)
EC-inoculated, thermoneutral	17/89 (19.1%)^b	6/89 (6.7%)^ab	5/89 (5.6%)^a	4/89 (4.5%)	6/89 (6.7%)^ab	2/40 (5.0%)	0/40 (0.0%)
EC-inoculated, heat stress	15/87 (17.2%)^b	7/87 (8.1%)^b	15/87 (17.2%)^b	2/87 (2.3%)	7/87 (8.1%)^b	1/42 (2.4%)	2/42 (4.8%)

Statistical analysis was performed per symptom or lesion using Fisher’s exact test and post hoc Benjamini‒Hochberg adjustment for multiple testing (α = 0.05); p ≤ 0.05. Different superscript letters indicate significant differences between groups. The analysis included birds examined at regular necropsies and birds euthanized for the Ussing chamber experiments in week three (Days 15–18) as well as birds that died or were euthanized due to animal welfare reasons throughout the experiment. The free thoracic vertebra and the femoral heads (FH) were only examined between 21 and 42 dph, resulting in a smaller sample size for spinal abscesses and osteomyelitis.

ISSN: 1297-9716