Deciphering chicken gut microbial dynamics based on high-throughput 16S rRNA metagenomics analyses

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Animal Science
• Genomics

Background:

• Chicken gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host health, immunity, and performance.
• Understanding microbial community composition differences is vital for host physiological maintenance.
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS) offers advanced accuracy for studying gut microbial dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the development of ileal and caecal microbiota in chickens as they age.
• To provide insights for effective gut modulation strategies in poultry.

Main Methods:

• Ileal and caecal contents were collected from broiler chickens at 7, 14, 21, and 42 days old.
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3 hyper-variable region) was used for microbial profiling.
• Bioinformatics, ecological analyses (PCoA), and predicted metagenomics (PICRUSt, STAMP) were performed.

Main Results:

• Distinct differences in bacterial communities were observed between ilea and caeca, varying with age (P < 0.001).
• Caeca exhibited higher microbial diversity compared to ilea.
• Potentially pathogenic Clostridium increased with age, while beneficial Lactobacillus remained low; functional differences included nutrient absorption (ilea) and bacterial colonization (caeca) pathways (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Caeca possess more diverse microbial communities than ilea.
• Functional distinctions between ileal and caecal microbiota are linked to nutrient absorption and bacterial colonization.
• Targeted gut modulation with probiotics may enhance host benefits based on microbial composition.