TY  - JOUR
AU  - Jacob, Jacqueline 
AU  - Pescatore, Anthony 
PY  - 2017
TI  - Glucans and the Poultry Immune System
JF  - American Journal of Immunology
VL  - 13
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.3844/ajisp.2017.45.49
UR  - https://thescipub.com/abstract/ajisp.2017.45.49
AB  - With the reduced availability of antibiotics, poultry producers are looking for feed additives to stimulate the immune system of their birds. Some beta-glucans have been shown to improve gut health in poultry subjected to a bacterial challenge, to increase the flow of new immunocytes into the various lymphoid organs, to increase macrophage function, to increase antibody titers after a vaccination and to function as an anti-inflammatory immunomodulator. As a result, beta-glucans may provide a tool for producers trying to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in poultry diets.