Abstract

The ban on antimicrobial growth promoters and efforts to reduce therapeutic antibiotic usage has led to major problems of gastrointestinal dysbiosis in livestock production in Europe. Control of dysbiosis without the use of antibiotics requires a thorough understanding of the interaction between the microbiota and the host mucosa. The gut microbiota of the healthy chicken is highly diverse, producing various metabolic end products, including gases and fermentation acids. The distal gut knows an abundance of bacteria from within the Firmicutes Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa that produce butyric acid, which is one of the metabolites that are sensed by the host as a signal. The host responds by strengthening the epithelial barrier, reducing inflammation, and increasing the production of mucins and antimicrobial peptides. Stimulating the colonization and growth of butyrate-producing bacteria thus may help optimizing gut health. Various strategies are available to stimulate butyrate production in the distal gut. These include delivery of prebiotic substrates that are broken down by bacteria into smaller molecules which are then used by butyrate producers, a concept called cross-feeding. Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) are such compounds as they can be converted to lactate, which is further metabolized to butyrate. Probiotic lactic acid producers can be supplied to support the cross-feeding reactions. Direct feeding of butyrate-producing Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa strains are a future tool provided that large scale production of strictly anaerobic bacteria can be optimized. Current results of strategies that promote butyrate production in the gut are promising. Nevertheless, our current understanding of the intestinal ecosystem is still insufficient, and further research efforts are needed to fully exploit the capacity of these strategies.

Highlights

  • For many years, broiler intestinal health was supported by the widespread use of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs)

  • A major problem with the production of butyrate-producing bacteria as probiotic is the cultivation, as these microorganisms require strict anaerobic conditions [72]. Another issue is that most poultry feed is pelleted, and probiotic strains are exposed to high temperatures during this process

  • The term probiotics was first defined by FOA/WHO in 2001, and at the end of 2013, the definition was worded more grammatically could be explained by differences in age, diet composition, and concentration of FOS in the diet

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Summary

Steering endogenous Butyrate

Lonneke Onrust , Richard Ducatelle , Karolien Van Driessche , Celine De Maesschalck , Karen Vermeulen , Freddy Haesebrouck , Venessa Eeckhaut and Filip Van Immerseel*. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Veterinary Infectious Diseases, a section of the journal

Frontiers in Veterinary Science
INTRODUCTION
Optimizing Gut Health of Broilers
GUT HEALTH
FOCUS ON ENDOGENOUS BUTYRATE
Butyrate Production
BUTYRATE PRODUCTION
Increasing Butyrate Concentration
CONCLUSION
Findings
Other Microorganisms
Full Text
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