Abstract
Although antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been used as feed additives, only a few studies have examined their use in ruminants. In this study, we evaluated the use of AMPs(recombinant swine defensin and a fly antibacterial peptide were mixed by 1:1) as a medicated feed additive for juvenile goats. Dietary treatments included control groups (group I: 300 g concentrate; group III: 600 g concentrate), and AMP-supplemented groups (group II: 300 g concentrate + 3.0 g AMPs; group IV: 600 g concentrate + 3.0 g AMPs). AMP-treated groups exhibited an increase in bacterial genera, including Fibrobacter, Anaerovibrio, and Succiniclasticum, and the ciliate genus Ophryoscolex; as well a reduction in bacterial genera, such as Selenomonas, Succinivibrio, and Treponema, and the ciliate genera Polyplastron, Entodinium, and Isotricha. The changes in Fibrobacter, Anaerovibrio, Ophryoscolex, Polyplastron, Entodinium, and Isotricha were related to the concentrate. AMP treatment led to increased body weight, average daily weight gain, enzymatic activity (pectinase, xylanase, and lipase), especially in the normal concentrate group, and influence on ruminal fermentation function. In addition, goats treated with AMPs had higher rumen microorganism diversity indices than the control groups. Our results demonstrate that AMPs can be utilized as feed additives for juvenile goats.
Highlights
The microbial environment in the rumen is quite complex and dynamic; this is due to several factors including type of diet[1,2]
No significant difference in ruminal pH was observed between Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)-treated groups and control group (P > 0.05; Table 2)
All indices were reduced in group III, these decreases were not statistically significant. These results indicate that AMP supplementation may enhance microbial diversity in the rumen whereas increasing concentrate may reduce it
Summary
The microbial environment in the rumen is quite complex and dynamic; this is due to several factors including type of diet[1,2]. Rumen regulation is one of the most important methods for improving feed efficiency, ruminant health, and ruminant livestock production performance. Several antibiotic compounds, such as monensin, hainanmycin, and virginiamycin, have been used to improve ruminal fermentation and the efficiency of nutrient utilization[7,8,9]. AMPs have been demonstrated to improve performance, nutrient retention, and intestinal morphology, and to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea in livestock animals[16,17,18,19]. There is insufficient information on the effects of AMPs on rumen digestion, as only a limited number of inconclusive studies have examined the use of AMPs as alternatives to feed antibiotics and growth promoters in ruminant nutrition. We investigated the effects of AMPs on rumen fermentation function and rumen microbial community structure in Chuanzhong black goats
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