Copper Super-Dosing Improves Performance of Heat-Stressed Broiler Chickens through Modulation of Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokine Genes

Table 6

Selected bacteria numbers (log₁₀ colony-forming units/g digesta) at 35 d of age in ileal digesta of broiler chickens supplemented with incremental doses of copper (as yeast protein).

Parameters	Added Cu proteinate in diet mg/kg diet (added Cu mg/kg diet)					Pooled SEM	value
	0 (0)	250 (37.5)	500 (75)	750 (112.5)	1000 (150)		Linear	Quadratic
Escherichia coli	9.01^c	8.95^c	8.70^b	8.60^ab	8.51^a	0.02	0.0001	0.001
Salmonella spp.	8.76^b	8.62^ab	8.55^a	8.53^a	8.60^ab	0.03	0.201	0.0001
Lactobacillus spp.	8.77^a	8.93^b	8.96^b	9.03^b	9.00^b	0.01	0.0001	0.0001

¹There were 8 replications/treatment with n = 10 birds/replication. Samples were collected from a single bird selected randomly from a replicate. Means with dissimilar superscript in a row varied significantly.