Dietary encapsulated glycine influences Clostridium perfringens and Lactobacilli growth in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens

Three experiments were conducted to determine whether there is a causative relation between dietary glycine concentration and intestinal Clostridium perfringens growth in broiler chickens. Expt. 1 showed that glycine concentrations were higher (P < 0.05) in jejunum and ileum of birds fed fat-encapsulated glycine compared with crystalline glycine. In Expt. 2, 2 cages of 6 birds were assigned to 1 of 6 experimental diets formulated to contain 7.6 and 10.6, 17.8 and 40.6, 27.8 and 30.6, 37.8 and 20.6, 47.7 and 10.6, and 7.8 and 50.6 g/kg total glycine and proline, respectively, provided primarily by supplementation with encapsulated glycine or proline as required. In Expt. 3, 12 groups of 6 birds were fed 4 different diets supplemented with encapsulated glycine to achieve 7.6, 21.0, 34.3, or 47.7 g/kg total glycine. The birds were orally challenged with C. perfringens type A on d 1 and d 14-21 and killed on d 28. In Expt. 2, C. perfringens populations were higher (P < 0.05) in ileum and cecum of birds, which received either 37.8 or 47.7 g/kg total glycine compared with those fed 7.6 g/kg glycine. In Expt. 3, C. perfringens numbers were higher (P < 0.05) in ileum of birds fed either 34.3 or 47.7 g/kg dietary glycine than those given either 7.6 or 21.0 g/kg glycine. Conversely, lactobacilli counts in ileum and cecum were significantly lower in birds fed the higher levels of glycine in both experiments. High C. perfringens colonization and high intestinal lesion scores were associated with reduced performance (P < 0.05). We conclude that glycine is an important determinant of C. perfringens growth in the intestinal tract of broiler chickens.