Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus on gut microbiota composition in broilers challenged with Clostridium perfringens

Zhui Li,Dan Liu,Weiwei Wang,Yuming Guo,Shu-Biao Wu

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188634

Abstract

This study shows the effects of dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus acidophilus on the gut microbiota of broiler chickens challenged with Clostridium perfringens infection during a 21-day period according to pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. In a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, 308 1-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chicks were analyzed for the effects of the probiotic (groups without or with L. acidophilus supplementation), pathogen challenge (groups without or with C. perfringens), and the effects of interaction. The infection decreased the number of Observed species, Chao1, and ACE of ileal microbiota and increased Chao1 of cecal microbiota of broilers, whereas L. acidophilus supplementation decreased the Shannon index of the ileal microbiota. Shannon index and Simpson indices were lower in the ileal microbiota than in the cecal microbiota. In the ileal microbiota, the control group had higher relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae in comparison with the other groups; however, the relative abundance of Gammaproteobacteria was significantly higher in the challenge group than in the other groups. C. perfringens infection tended to increase lactate concentration and decreasedconcentrations of formate, acetate and propionate in the ileum; decreased isobutyrate concentration; and tended to decrease isovalerate concentration in the cecum. Besides, L. acidophilus supplementation increased the concentration of lactate and butyrate and decreased concentrations of formate and propionate in the ileum, and increased concentrations of lactate and valerate in the cecum. In conclusion, C. perfringens infection and/or dietary supplementation with L. acidophilus modulated the relative abundance of some bacteria taxa, and the L. acidophilus supplementation helped to restore the microbial community disrupted by C. perfringens infection.

Highlights

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a universal poultry disease, which is mainly caused by Clostridium perfringens type A [1]
Our current results indicate that the C. perfringens challenge and L. acidophilus supplementation modified the proportion of specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and these changes were associated with ileal lactate production
Our results indicate that the ileal microbiota of chickens in the control group contained a higher proportion of butyrate-producing families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, which might have been suppressed in other experimental groups by the C. perfringens challenge or L. acidophilus supplementation

Summary

Introduction

Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a universal poultry disease, which is mainly caused by Clostridium perfringens type A [1]. It costs $ 2 billion per year to the poultry industry owing to the poor growth performance, mortality of the birds and prevention expenses [2]. Lactobacillus has been widely used as probiotics in feed to improve poultry growth performance and overall health [4, 5]. Far less is known about the L. acidophilus-mediated changes in the C. perfringens challenged chicken microbiota. We used highthroughput sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene to assess the ileal and cecal microbiota of unchallenged or challenged chickens fed diets without or with L. acidophilus supplementatioin. We measured the concentrations of lactate and shortchain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the ileum and cecum

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion