EFFECTS OF Moringa oleifera ROOT EXTRACT ON THE PERFORMANCE AND SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY OF Escherichia coli CHALLENGED BROILER CHICKS

The antibacterial and phytochemical effects of aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera roots on E. coli challenged broiler chicks were investigated. Ninety one-day old broiler chicks were orally inoculated with E. coli at 1.23×10^8 CFU/ml and then divided into six treatment dose levels: 5g/l, 10g/l, and 15g/l Moringa root extract (MRE), positive control, negative control and a standard (commercial antibiotics). The extract showed no significant difference (P 0.05) in performance, carcass and nutrient retention indices of birds compared to the controls. However, at 10g/l dose level, serum parameters including cholesterol and uric acid were higher (P 0.05) at 118.9Mmol/l and 4.07Mmol/l respectively, but lower in total protein (4.40g/l, P 0.05). Birds fed 15g/l dosage had lower (P 0.05) serum cholesterol level (77.503Mmol/l) and lower (P 0.05) mortality (1%) compared to other treatments (2.2–3.3%) and the negative control (5.5%). The findings of this study suggest that the active ingredients from Moringa oleifera roots could significantly assist in combating endogenous pathogenic activities.