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Updated: May 2, 2026
Chronic Salmonella Infected Mouse Model
Published on: May 31, 2010
Influence of Different Litter Regimens on Ceca Microbiota Profiles in Salmonella-Challenged Broiler Chicks
Deji A Ekunseitan1, Scott H Harrison2, Ibukun M Ogunade3
1Department of Animal Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Insights
Dirty litter management in young chicks improved gut microbiome diversity and function, leading to better growth performance and pathogen resistance. This highlights the importance of litter management for poultry health.
Area of Science:
- Poultry Science
- Microbiology
- Animal Nutrition
Background:
- Litter management is crucial for poultry health and performance.
- The gut microbiome plays a significant role in host health and disease resistance.
- Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infection poses a threat to poultry production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of litter type (dirty vs. fresh) and SE challenge on chick growth and cecal microbiome.
- To understand the relationship between litter management, gut microbiota, and host performance.
Main Methods:
- A 14-day study with 240 Ross 708 male chicks in a 2x2 factorial design.
- Treatments included dirty litter (DL), fresh litter (FL), and SE challenge (SE).
- Performance metrics (BW, BWG, FI, FCR, mortality) and cecal SE concentration were measured.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Illumina Miseq) analyzed cecal microbiome composition and diversity.
Main Results:
- Litter type and SE challenge interaction affected feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR).
- Dirty litter (DL) resulted in the poorest FCR, but highest FI was observed in fresh litter with SE challenge (CONFLSE), DL, and dirty litter with SE challenge (CONDLSE).
- Cecal SE concentration was reduced in CONDLSE.
- Alpha diversity was higher in DL compared to no challenge (NC).
- Beta diversity showed distinct separation between DL and FL groups.
- Key bacterial genera (e.g., Lactobacillus, Lachnospira) prevalent in DL were linked to improved performance and gut homeostasis.
Conclusions:
- Litter management significantly alters chick gut microbiome composition and function.
- Dirty litter promotes beneficial bacteria associated with enhanced growth performance and pathogen exclusion.
- These findings underscore the importance of strategic litter management for poultry health and productivity.
Abstract:
A 14-day study was conducted to evaluate the effect of litter type (dirty litter, DL; fresh litter, FL) and Salmonella Enteritidis SE challenge (no challenge, NC; challenge, SE) on the growth performance and cecal microbial composition of neonate chicks. Day-old chicks (n = 240, Ross 708 male) were allocated to a 2 × 2 factorial design consisting of four treatments: chicks raised on dirty litter (CONDL), chicks raised on fresh litter (CONFL); and chicks raised on litter types similar to CONDL and CONFL but inoculated with 7.46 × 108 CFU SE/mL at d 1 (CONDLSE and CONFLSE). The performance indices measured included body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), mortality, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Cecal SE concentration was assessed on d 3 and 14, and ceca were collected from chicks on day 14 for DNA extraction. The Illumina Miseq platform was used for microbiome analysis of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The interaction of litter type and SE influenced FCR and FI. CONDL recorded the poorest FCR (1.832). FI was highest and similar in CONFLSE, CONDL, and CONDLSE (0.655, 0.692, and 0.677, respectively). Cecal SE concentration was significantly reduced in CONDLSE at d 3 and 14. Alpha diversity was higher (p < 0.05) in the DL compared to that in NC. Beta diversity showed a separation (p < 0.05) between the DL and the FL. Comparative tree analysis revealed 21 differential significant genera, with 14 prevalent in the DL and 7 in the FL, specifically, bacteria genera such as Lactobacillus, Clostridia_vadinBB60_group, Lachnospira, Oscillospiraceae UCG_005, and Marvinbryantia, which play significant roles relating to improved growth performance, metabolic homeostasis within the gut, energy metabolism, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) utilization. Our results concluded that litter management regimen differentially alters the microbiome of chicks, which accounts for the improved performance and exclusion of pathogens in the study.
