<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This study aimed to establish the effect of dietary supplementation in broiler chickens of organic and inorganic selenium on the weight and structure of the thymus, bursa of Fabricius and spleen. Three dietary regimes were studied in Flex and F15 Hubbard chickens: (i) control, (ii) diets containing 0.5 mg organic selenium/kg by selenized yeast, (iii) diets supplemented with 0.5 mg ionic selenium/kg (sodium selenite). The results showed that the feed additives did not affect the relative weight of the immune system organs, i.e. bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. The organic selenium in the F15 resulted in thinning of the thymic cortex and partial depletion of the lymphoid cells. Moreover, both the organic and inorganic selenium supplementation resulted in depopulation of bursal medulla from lymphocytes in the F15 group. In contrast, in Flex chickens no significant differences in histological structure and morphometric values of lymphoid organs between chickens fed organic and inorganic selenium were found.</p></abstract>

This study aimed to establish the effect of dietary supplementation in broiler chickens of organic and inorganic selenium on the weight and structure of the thymus, bursa of Fabricius and spleen. Three dietary regimes were studied in Flex and F15 Hubbard chickens: (i) control, (ii) diets containing 0.5 mg organic selenium/kg by selenized yeast, (iii) diets supplemented with 0.5 mg ionic selenium/kg (sodium selenite). The results showed that the feed additives did not affect the relative weight of the immune system organs, i.e. bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. The organic selenium in the F15 resulted in thinning of the thymic cortex and partial depletion of the lymphoid cells. Moreover, both the organic and inorganic selenium supplementation resulted in depopulation of bursal medulla from lymphocytes in the F15 group. In contrast, in Flex chickens no significant differences in histological structure and morphometric values of lymphoid organs between chickens fed organic and inorganic selenium were found.

Influence of Selenium on the Morphology of Immune System Organs in Healthy Broilers

Department of Animal Products Technology and Quality Management

Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences

Division of Histology and Embryology, Department of Animal Physiology and Biostructure

Department of Immunology, Pathophysiology and Veterinary Preventive Medicine

Acta Veterinaria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This study aimed to establish the effect of dietary supplementation in broiler chickens of organic and inorganic selenium on the weight and structure of the...

Influence of Selenium on the Morphology of Immune System Organs in Healthy Broilers

Published Online: Dec 21, 2019

Page range: 379 - 390

Received: Nov 20, 2019

Accepted: Dec 02, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2019-0032

Keywords
selenium, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, spleen, immunology, chicken

© 2019 Korzeniowska Malgorzata et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Influence of Selenium on the Morphology of Immune System Organs in Healthy Broilers

Published Online: Dec 21, 2019

Page range: 379 - 390

Received: Nov 20, 2019

Accepted: Dec 02, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2019-0032

Keywordsselenium, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, spleen, immunology, chicken

© 2019 Korzeniowska Malgorzata et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
selenium, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, spleen, immunology, chicken