Cecal microbiome composition and metabolic function in probiotic treated broilers

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Microbiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Probiotics are increasingly utilized in poultry for gut health and performance enhancement.
• Modulating intestinal microbiota and metabolic activities is key to improving poultry health.
• Understanding probiotic effects on cecal microbiota and growth is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of various probiotic formulations on broiler cecal microbiota.
• To analyze the metabolic profiles of cecal communities under different probiotic treatments.
• To associate cecal microbiota with growth parameters in broilers.

Main Methods:

• Tested synbiotic (SYNBIO), yeast-based (YEAST), and single-strain Bacillus formulations (SINGLE1, SINGLE2, SINGLE3).
• Assessed taxonomic and metabolic profiling of cecal microbial communities.
• Correlated microbiota data with body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and mortality.

Main Results:

• SYNBIO, YEAST, SINGLE2, and SINGLE3 improved BW and BWG by 7 days.
• SYNBIO significantly reduced overall mortality by 42 days.
• Probiotics influenced metabolic profiles, with SYNBIO and SINGLE2 showing beneficial adaptations.
• Lactobacillales abundance correlated with lower Enterobacteriales, higher BW, and reduced mortality.

Conclusions:

• Probiotic supplementation can enhance microbial energy metabolism in broiler ceca.
• Specific probiotics positively impact broiler growth and survival rates.
• Targeting microbial communities offers a promising strategy for poultry production.