Campylobacter jejuni and C. fetus subsp. fetus were inoculated into fifty chickens by different routes. Ascorbic acid (AA) was supplemented in a dose of 500 mg/kg diet. The c1inica1, postmortem, bacteriologica1 and histopathological findings were recorded.
The re-isolation rate of campylobacter organisms was much lower in chickens supplemented with AA than other birds. Infected chickens kept on basal diet only showed loss of body weight. Birds infected with campylobacter organisms showed lower serum AA levels than those of the non-medicated group.
The addition of AA proved to immunize the lesions in infected chickens and seemed to improve the weight gain, AA also potentiated the healthy conditions in birds supplemented with high doses of this vitamin.
The importance of AA as food additive in poultry diet to protect chickens and consequently human beings from infectious agents was discussed.
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