Abstract
Simple SummaryIn poultry farming, the use of prophylactic antibiotics can lead to increased resistance, so probiotics are a good alternative. Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) has been widely used to improve the gut health of animals. Therefore, we carried out the current study of Pekin ducks supplemented with C. butyricum for a period of 42 days. Here, we found a clear increase in the growth performance of Pekin ducks supplemented with C. butyricum. Moreover, a high level of secretory IgA, IgM, IgG, IL-4, and IL-10 and comparatively higher short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and intestinal tight junction changes were found in Pekin ducks supplemented with C. butyricum. The gut microbial diversity of Pekin ducks supplemented with C. butyricum was clearly different than that of Pekin ducks fed a non-C. butyricum diet. In conclusion, our findings suggest that 400 mg/kg C. butyricum supplementation improved the intestinal health of Pekin ducks by increasing the α-diversity of intestinal microbiota, enhancing the SCFAs contents, and strengthening the intestinal barrier function and immune systems indicating that 400 mg/kg C. butyricum might be a preferable antibiotic alternative for commercial application.Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) is increasingly being used to test the promotion of the gut health of animals. However, the modes of action for such applications for waterfowl remain unclear. Thus, we investigated whether or not intestinal barrier function, immune-related gene expression, and the diversity of the intestinal microbiota in Pekin ducks varied under C. butyricum supplementation. A total of 500 ducks were randomly assigned into five treatments supplemented with basal diets containing: either 0 (group Control), 200 (group CB200), 400 (group CB400) and 600 (group CB600) mg/kg C. butyricum or 150 mg/kg aureomycin (group A150) for 42 days. In comparison with the control group, C. butyricum supplementation enhanced the growth performance and intestinal villus height of Pekin ducks at 42 d. Serum immune indexes and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were all improved at both 21 d and 42 d after C. butyricum addition. The mRNA expression levels of Mucin2, Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Caudin-3, and Occludin increased at 21 d and 42 d and the mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 only increased at 42 d after C. butyricum addition. Dietary C. butyricum also resulted in an increase in the number of diversities of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and an increase in the α-diversity of intestinal microbiota. The addition of C. butyricum altered the composition of the intestinal microbiota from 21 d to 42 d. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes showed little changes among groups; however, the relative abundance of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes were found to have been significantly different between the 21 d and 42 d. C. butyricum administration improved the intestinal health of Pekin ducks by increasing the diversity of intestinal microbiota, enhancing the SCFAs contents, and strengthening the intestinal barrier function and immune systems. The optimal dietary supplementation dosage was recommended as 400 mg/kg in the diet.
Highlights
Probiotics have been found to be able to improve digestive function and prevent leaky intestines or intestinal inflammation
We demonstrated that dietary C. butyricum intervention modulated serum lipid metabolism and improved both meat quality as well as fatty acid composition of Pekin ducks [6]
Results revealed that the average daily gain (ADG) of group CB400 increased significantly (p < 0.05) in comparison with group Con; and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) of group CB200 and group
Summary
Probiotics have been found to be able to improve digestive function and prevent leaky intestines or intestinal inflammation. Gram-positive obligate anaerobic probiotic which can produce butyric acid and form endospores, and has been documented as normal intestinal flora of healthy animals [1]. C. butyricum can tolerate high bile, high temperature environments, and acidic environments of the digestive tract, it can be used as an effective feed additive [2]. C. butyricum can produce bacteriocin, lipoteichoic acid, hydrogen, and these prebiotics can help to improve intestinal anti-oxidation and anti-bacterial functions in animals [3]. C. butyricum is able to increase growth performance, alleviate oxidative stress, and strengthen immune function of broiler chickens and cultured shrimps [4,5]. We demonstrated that dietary C. butyricum intervention modulated serum lipid metabolism and improved both meat quality as well as fatty acid composition of Pekin ducks [6]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have