Abstract
ABSTRACTSelenium is an essential trace element that can modulate the gut microbiome with an impact on host health. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of organic (selenium-enriched yeast) vs inorganic (sodium selenite) selenium source on fecal end-fermentation products and gut microbiome of puppies from 20 to 52 weeks of age. Alpha and beta diversity of the gut bacterial community were affected by age but not by gender or selenium source. The relative abundance of taxa was differently affected by age, and the DNA concentration of all selected bacterial groups increased with age, although total volatile fatty acids (VFA), acetate, propionate, caproate and lactate concentrations decreased. Organic selenium was associated with a higher concentration of total VFA, propionate and butyrate, a higher number of DNA copies of Lactobacillus, and a trend to lower DNA copies of Escherichia coli. Effects on fecal microbiome during growth differed with selenium source. Females had higher fecal end-fermentation products related to protein degradation, whereas males had higher DNA concentration of Bifidobacterium. Organic selenium might be beneficial over inorganic for dog food supplementation due to the positive modulation of the gut microbiome observed in puppies.
Highlights
The complex gut microbiome constitutes an intricate ecosystem that impacts the health of its host (Guard et al 2017)
The relative abundance of taxa was differently affected by age, and the DNA concentration of all selected bacterial groups increased with age, total
The number of operational taxonomy units (OTU) and richness community indexes (Shannon’s diversity index and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity), and community evenness (Pielou’s Evenness) were affected by the age of puppies (P < 0.001; Tables 3 and S1, Supporting Information), with alpha diversity lower at 20 weeks of age, but they were not affected by selenium source nor gender (P > 0.05, Tables 3, S2 and S3, Supporting Information)
Summary
The complex gut microbiome constitutes an intricate ecosystem that impacts the health of its host (Guard et al 2017). A limited number of detailed studies have evaluated the effect of selenium supplementation on the gut microbiome of fish (Kousha, Yeganeh and Amirkolaie 2019; Victor et al 2019) and mammals (Kasaikina et al 2011; Lv et al 2015; Zhai et al 2018) These studies point towards a positive impact of selenium supplementation on bacteria diversity (Victor et al 2019), an increase of beneficial bacteria (Lv et al 2015; Ren et al 2016; Kousha, Yeganeh and Amirkolaie 2019) and a lower predisposition for infections (Zhai et al 2018). An in vivo trial with dogs showed that dietary supplementation with a selenium/zinc enriched probiotic increased the proportions of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and decreased those of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus (Ren et al 2011)
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