Dr. Rebollo: First line of defense and gut health

aviNews International interviewed Dr. Marco Rebollo at the World’s Poultry Congress in Paris to talk about the First Line of DefenseTM Program and gut health in poultry. Dr. Rebollo is a poultry veterinarian currently working as a Poultry Segment Manager for North America at Zinpro Corporation. As the poultry industry is facing serious challenges and threats of disease. It is critical during challenging times to prioritize the health of animals to eliminate the risk of losses. The Zinpro First Line of Defense Program is a breakthrough in mineral supplementation to support:

The production and maintenance of epithelial tissue, allowing for improved immune responses.
Maintenance of the epithelial integrity, preventing bacteria from crossing into the bloodstream.
Modulation of inflammation occurring, allowing more nutrients available for performance including muscle growth and egg production.

Going to the basics of immunology, Dr. Rebollo explained that the immune system is composed of cellular and humoral immune responses.

“So, we also have the innate immune response, which is the natural response of the animal to defend against non-specific aggressions that we can call pathogens or toxins, or even mechanical aggressions, and then we have the adaptative immune response that is targeted to specific antigens or specific pathogens.” The latter takes some time to develop.

Therefore, Dr. Rebollo indicated that the Zinpro First Line of Defense is a general concept for the immune system.

This concept has been developed at Zinpro to summarize the first line that pathogens find when they enter the system.

It means the physical barriers that are comprised mainly of the epithelium tissue and are usually monolayers of cells. Epithelial cells can also produce mucus or substances that make it difficult for the pathogens to invade. But also, there is a cellular first line of defense that is right underneath this first monolayer cell (lamina propria) that is comprised of non-specific phagocytes or lymphocytes which take care of non-specific pathogens. To watch the full interview, click here.