EFFECT OF DIETARY ANTIBIOTICS UPON COLIFORM BACTERIA AND LACTOBACILLI IN THE INTESTINAL TRACT OF URIC ACID-FED CHICKS

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Microbiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Uric acid feeding in chicks can lead to growth depression.
• The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in nutrient metabolism and overall health.
• Antibiotics are known to influence the composition of the gut microbiota.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of dietary antibiotics on the gut microbiota of chicks fed uric acid.
• To determine if antibiotics can mitigate the negative effects of uric acid on chick growth.

Main Methods:

• Chicks were fed different diets: basal, uric acid only, uric acid with antibiotics (zinc bacitracin and penicillin G), and antibiotics only.
• Growth performance was monitored over 4 weeks.
• Bacteriological and chemical analyses of small intestinal contents were performed.

Main Results:

• Chicks fed uric acid without antibiotics exhibited weight depression.
• The addition of antibiotics to the uric acid diet reversed the growth depression.
• Uric acid-fed chicks receiving antibiotics showed increased numbers of uricolytic Aerobacter spp. and enhanced uric acid degradation.
• Lactobacilli counts were lowest in chicks fed uric acid with antibiotics.

Conclusions:

• Dietary antibiotics can counteract the growth-depressing effects of uric acid in chicks.
• Antibiotics significantly alter the gut microbial population, favoring uricolytic bacteria while reducing lactobacilli.
• Further research is needed to understand the long-term implications of these microbial shifts.