Vet World   Vol.18   May-2025  Article - 10 

Potency of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter in broiler chicken challenged with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli

Widya Paramita Lokapirnasari¹ , Lilik Maslachah² , Amung Logam Saputro³ , Efi Rokana⁴ , Andreas Berny Yulianto⁵ , Zulfi Nur Amrina Rosyada¹ , Muhammad Aviv Firdaus⁶ , Himatul Ilma Silfia⁶ , Ertika Fitri Lisnanti⁴ , Zein Ahmad Baihaqi⁷ , Tabita Dameria Marbun⁸ , Aswin Rafif Khairullah⁹ , and Muhammad Shakeel¹⁰

Background and Aim: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to the widespread use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) necessitates the exploration of sustainable alternatives in poultry production. This study evaluated the efficacy of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as a probiotic alternative to AGPs in broilers challenged with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), with a focus on growth performance, antioxidant status, lipid metabolism, and hematological profiles.

Materials and Methods: A total of 80 broiler chickens were randomly allocated into four groups: T0 (uninfected control), T1 (APEC-infected control), T2 (APEC + AGP, 0.1% zinc bacitracin), and T3 (APEC + probiotic, 0.5% L. paracasei). Treatments were administered from day 15 to 35 post-hatch, following a 2-week adaptation period. Performance indicators (feed conversion ratio [FCR], body weight gain [BWG], and feed efficiency [FE]), antioxidant parameters (superoxide dismutase [SOD] and malondialdehyde [MDA]), lipid profiles (cholesterol, HDL, and LDL), and hematological variables were assessed. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Probiotic supplementation significantly improved FCR, BWG, and FE (p < 0.05), with the T3 group achieving the most favorable outcomes. SOD activity was markedly higher, and MDA levels were reduced in probiotic-treated birds compared with the AGP and infected groups. Moreover, L. paracasei administration resulted in significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL levels while maintaining moderate HDL concentrations. Hemoglobin and thrombocyte levels were modestly influenced, though overall hematological profiles remained stable across groups.

Conclusion: L. paracasei supplementation significantly enhanced growth performance, antioxidant defense, and lipid metabolism in broilers challenged with APEC, supporting its application as a viable alternative to AGPs. These findings contribute to sustainable poultry production practices and public health safety by mitigating the reliance on antibiotics.

Keywords: antibiotic alternatives, antioxidant status, broiler chicken, Escherichia coli, growth performance, lipid metabolism, probiotics.

How to cite this article: Lokapirnasari WP, Maslachah L, Saputro AL, Rokana E, Yulianto AB, Rosyada ZNA, Firdaus MA, Silfia HI, Lisnanti EF, Baihaqi ZA, Marbun TD, Khairullah AR, and Shakeel M (2025) Potency of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoter in broiler chicken challenged with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli, Veterinary World, 18(5): 1180-1189.

Received: 16-04-2025   Accepted: 21-04-2025   Published online: 17-05-2025

Corresponding author: Widya Paramita Lokapirnasari    E-mail: widya-p-l@fkh.unair.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1180-1189

Copyright: Lokapirnasari, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.