Abstract
The microbiota in broiler chicken intestines affects the animals’ health, metabolism, and immunity both positively and negatively. Accordingly, it has a significant impact on animal productivity. Phages, host-specific parasites of bacterial cells, are a promising antimicrobial alternative that selectively target pathogens without disturbing the microbiota. The purpose of this study is to further characterize the commensal microbial community at production scale in broiler chickens treated with a Salmonella phage treatment. We evaluated the cecal microbiota of broilers reared in a commercial farming system where a phage cocktail against Salmonella, SalmoFree was supplied to animals. To do so, two field trials were conducted, incorporating three doses of phages in the broilers’ drinking water. Our results showed that the core microbiome (taxa that were present in more than 50% of samples) contained species that are key to microbiota adaptation in the last stage of the production cycle. Among these, there are some important degraders of complex polysaccharides and producers of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as Eisenbergiella and Lachnoclostridium. The phage cocktail did not affect the normal development of the microbiota’s structure. The addition of the phage cocktail resulted in a significant reduction in Campylobacter and an increase in Butyricimonas, Helicobacter and Rikenellaceae, which are common inhabitants in chicken gut with known negative and positive effects on their health and metabolism. Altogether, we consider that these results contribute valuable information to the implementation of large-scale phage therapy technologies.
Highlights
The microbiota in broiler chicken intestines affects the animals’ health, metabolism, and immunity both positively and negatively
Danzeisen and colleagues discovered that chickens that did not receive antibiotic supplements had a higher diversity of gene families involved in the degradation of starch, cellulose and hemicellulose, potentially leading to a healthier and more adaptive microbial community
The current study is focused on the description of the cecal microbiota of broilers in a commercial scenario, while under the effect of a Salmonella phage cocktail, SalmoFree, incorporated as treatment in the broilers’ drinking water
Summary
The microbiota in broiler chicken intestines affects the animals’ health, metabolism, and immunity both positively and negatively It has a significant impact on animal productivity. Danzeisen and colleagues discovered that chickens that did not receive antibiotic supplements had a higher diversity of gene families involved in the degradation of starch, cellulose and hemicellulose, potentially leading to a healthier and more adaptive microbial community This supports the hypothesis that antibiotic overuse can lead to negative effects on chickens’ h ealth[17]. Among the different bacterial pathogens in poultry, Salmonella is considered one of the most important food safety problems This bacterium is a gram-negative, foodborne pathogen that is one of the most common causes of acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide and is becoming an important public health concern that has a significant economic impact. It has been estimated that the broilers’ growth rate can be reduced by as much as 29%20
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