Dietary Inulin Supplementation Modulates Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and Cecum Microbiota Composition and Function in Chickens Infected With Salmonella.

Jiao Song,Jie Wen,Maiqing Zheng,Guiping Zhao,Nadia Everaert,Qinghe Li,Ranran Liu

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.584380

Abstract

The current study investigated the effects of inulin on the gut microbiota, microbiome functions, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens infected with Salmonella enteritidis (SE). SPF Arbor Acres chickens (n = 240, 1-day-old) were divided into four groups: a control group (CON) fed a basal diet without inulin supplementation or SE infection, and three groups fed a basal diet supplemented with inulin 0, 0.5, and 1% (SE, 0.5%InSE, 1%InSE, respectively) up to 28-days-old, followed by SE challenge at 28 days of age. Cecal SCFA contents and microbiome composition and function were analyzed at 1-day post-infection. The results showed that SE infection significantly decreased cecal butyrate concentrations compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), while inulin supplementation reversed these changes compared with the SE group (p < 0.05). Inulin supplementation at 1% significantly increased the abundances of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, and significantly decreased the abundances of Subdoligranulum and Sellimonas compared with the SE group (p < 0.05). The functional profiles of microbial communities based on metagenomic sequencing analysis showed that SE infection significantly increased the abundances of pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism (p < 0.05), and significantly decreased the abundances of pathways related to nucleotide metabolism, translation, and replication and repair compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), and these effects were reversed by inulin supplementation (0.5 and 1%) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, inulin modulated the dysbiosis induced by SE infection via affecting SCFA metabolism and microbial functional profiles.

Highlights

Chicken meat is one of the most important and economical sources of animal protein for human consumption worldwide
We showed that the abundances of functional pathways related to membrane transport and replication and repair were reduced, while amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism were increased in the Salmonella Enteritis (SE) group compared with the control group (CON) group, and there were significant differences in the level 3 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways between the SE and CON groups
The present results showed that amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism at level 3, including the related KEGG orthologies (KOs) (K00266, K01652), were enriched in the SE-infection group, indicating that pathways associated with nutrients and energy metabolism were activated to meet the nutrient and energy requirements of the cecal microbiome in SE-infected chickens

Summary

Introduction

Chicken meat is one of the most important and economical sources of animal protein for human consumption worldwide. The modern poultry industry uses large amounts of antimicrobials to prevent disease and enhance growth and productivity, resulting in antimicrobial resistance and a risk to human health (Shang et al, 2018). Salmonella Enteritis (SE) infection in poultry leads to reduced growth and lower economic benefits, and poses a threat to food safety and human public health as a result of possible foodborne outbreaks in humans (Nair et al, 2018). Antibiotic-based growth promoters will be totally banned in China in 2020. Alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed are receiving increasing attention, with the aim of improving meat quality and safety, while promoting animal productivity and welfare (Markowiak and Slizewska, 2018)

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