Indigestible carbohydrates alter the intestinal microbiota but do not influence the performance of broiler chickens |
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Authors: | M.S. Geier V.A. Torok G.E. Allison K. Ophel-Keller R.J. Hughes |
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Affiliation: | Pig and Poultry Production Institute, South Australian Research and Development Institute, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, SA, Australia; Australian Poultry Co-operative Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia; Plant and Soil Health, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, Australia; School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and ANU Medical School, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia |
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Abstract: | Aims: Prebiotics are a potential alternative to in-feed antimicrobials to improve performance of chickens. We investigated the effects of mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on growth, performance and the intestinal microbiota. Methods and Results: Cobb 500 birds were fed either: Control, starter diet without antimicrobials; ZnB, Control + 50 ppm zinc bacitracin; MOS, Control + 5 g kg−1 MOS; or FOS, Control + 5 g kg−1 FOS. An energy metabolism study was conducted and intestinal microbial communities assessed by T-RFLP and Lac PCR-DGGE. Diet did not influence performance. Ileal microbial communities were significantly different in ZnB-fed birds compared to all diets, and FOS-fed chickens compared to Control. MOS-fed chickens had a different caecal profile to ZnB and FOS-fed birds. Consensus Lac PCR-DGGE profiles indicated Lactobacillus communities clustered according to diet with Lactobacillus johnsonii characteristic of ZnB diet. Control and MOS-fed chickens displayed significantly different jejunal Lactobacillus profiles to each other whilst ileal profiles were different between MOS and FOS-fed birds. Conclusion: Prebiotics influenced the intestinal microbiota, but did not affect performance. Significance and Impact of the Study: In light of pressure for in-feed antimicrobial withdrawal, the impact of alternative compounds on the intestinal microbiota and bird performance is critical to the poultry industry. |
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Keywords: | antimicrobial chicken denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis gut microbial profiling prebiotics terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism |
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