Abstract
Probiotics which do not result in the development and spread of microbial resistance are among the candidate replacements for antibiotics previously used as growth promotors. In this study the effect of in-feed supplementation of the butyrate producing Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum strain 25-3T on performance, intestinal microbiota and prevention of necrotic enteritis (NE), a disease caused by Clostridium perfringens was evaluated in broilers. For the performance study, day old Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated into two treatment groups and fed either a non-supplemented diet or a diet supplemented with 109 cfu lyophilized B. pullicaecorum per kg feed for 40 days. On day 40 broilers administered B. pullicaecorum had a significant lower bodyweight (2675 g vs. 2762 g; p = 0.0025) but supplementation of B. pullicaecorum decreased the feed conversion ratio significantly (1.518 vs. 1.632; p < 0.0001). Additionally, ingestion of the Butyricicoccus strain significantly lowered the abundance of Campylobacter spp. in the caecum and Enterococcus and Escherichia/Shigella spp. in the ileum at day 40. In feed supplementation of B. pullicaecorum in the NE trials resulted in a significant decrease in the number of birds with necrotic lesions compared with the untreated control group. These studies show that supplementation of B. pullicaecorum is able to improve feed conversion, to reduce the abundance of some potentially important pathogens in the caeca and ileum and to contribute to the prevention of NE in broilers, making the strain a potential valuable probiotic.
Highlights
MATERIALS AND METHODSSince the 1970’s, broilers have substantially improved in growth rate, breast-meat yield and efficiency of feed conversion (Dawkins and Layton, 2012)
The objectives of the present study were to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum, a butyrate-producing chicken isolate, on animal performance, on the intestinal microbiota composition and on the resistance against C. perfringens induced necrotic enteritis (NE)
We found that the average number of bacteria belonging to the genus Campylobacter on day 40 was significantly (p = 0.0169) lower (5.27 ± 0.46 vs. 6.74 ± 0.19 in log number of 16S rRNA gene copy number/g caecal content) in the caeca of chickens that were administered B. pullicaecorum supplemented feed compared to control animals (Figure 2)
Summary
Since the 1970’s, broilers have substantially improved in growth rate, breast-meat yield and efficiency of feed conversion (Dawkins and Layton, 2012). Feed conversion ratio (FCR), calculated as the ratio of feed consumed to weight gained, is a widely used performance measure, representing how efficiently the feed is utilized and converted into body mass (Stanley et al, 2012). The extraction of energy and nutrients from feed requires interplay between the biochemical functions provided by the chicken and the intestinal microbiota (Stanley et al, 2014a). The chicken gut harbors a very diverse microbiota that for many years has been kept stable by the use of sub-therapeutic dosages of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in the feed. The ban on the use of AGPs in the EU has resulted in an increase of intestinal health problems in broiler flocks and reduced profitability for poultry farmers. A disease that has emerged after the AGP ban is necrotic enteritis (NE), caused by Clostridium perfringens
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