Community composition of cecal microbiota in commercial yellow broilers with high and low feed efficiencies

Abstract

The cecal microbiota plays important roles in host food digestion and nutrient absorption, which may in part affect feed efficiency ( FE ). To investigate the composition and functional differences of cecal microbiota between high (n = 30) and low (n = 29) feed conversion ratio ( FCR ; metric for FE) groups, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and predicted the metagenome function using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved Species in yellow broilers. The results showed that the 2 groups had the same prominent microbes but with differing abundance. Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , and Actinobacteria were 3 prominent bacterial phyla in the cecal microbial community. Although there were no differences in microbial diversity, compositional differences related to FCR were found via linear discriminant analysis ( LDA ) effect size; the genus Bacteroides had a significantly higher abundance (LDA >2) in the high FE ( HFE ) group than in the low FE group. Furthermore, genus Bacteroides had a negative FCR-associated correlation ( P < 0.05). Oscillospira was positively correlated with Bacteroides in both groups, whereas Dorea was negatively correlated with Bacteroides in the HFE group. Predictive functional analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as “starch and sucrose metabolism,” “phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis,” and “carbohydrate metabolism” were significantly enriched in the HFE group. The relatively subtle differences in FE-associated cecal microbiota composition suggest a possible link between cecal microbiota and FE. Moreover, Bacteroides may potentially be used as biomarkers for FE to improve growth performance in yellow broilers.

Effects of Dietary Tributyrin on Growth Performance, Biochemical Indices, and Intestinal Microbiota of Yellow-Feathered Broilers

“…Accumulating evidence indicates Firmicutes dominate the cecal microflora in chickens [ 43 , 44 ]. Nonetheless, our study showed that Bacteroidetes was the dominant phylum of cecal contents in the TB group, accounting for more than 80%, whereas Firmicutes accounted for less than 20%, which was consistent with the literature [ 45 ]. Furthermore, our LEfSe results showed that the Bacteroides phylum and its class Bacteroidia , order Bacteroidales , species Bacteroides_barnesiae , were potential biomarkers in the TB group.…”

“…Interestingly, a previous study reported the association between beneficial bacteria Bacteroides in the avian gut and increased growth performance, body weight gain, breast muscle yield and low abdominal fat [ 48 ]. Further research has shown that Bacteroides were significantly more abundant in the high feed efficiency (low FCR) group [ 45 ], indicating the low FCR and high final weight may be due to the increased Bacteroides in the TB group.…”

Microbial Composition in the Duodenum and Ileum of Yellow Broilers With High and Low Feed Efficiency

“…The feeding experiment was divided into three stages: from day 1 to 20, from day 21 to 40, and from day 41 to 63. The feed formula ( Supplementary Table 1 ) was the same as that described by Huang et al (2021) and met the nutritional requirements set forth in the Nutritional Requirements of Chickens (1994). The feed intake and BW per chicken were measured every 5 days.…”

Oscillospira - a candidate for the next-generation probiotics

“…Notably, Oscillospira showed a stronger positive correlation in the high feed efficiency group (HFE) than that in the low feed efficiency group (LFE). 66 O. guilliermondii was detected in the rumen of several herbivorous animals, including cattle and sheep, and the abundance of this organism was significantly higher especially when the diet was fresh forage. 67 However, in the opposite case, Yan et al fed geese with fermented feed diets prepared by co-fermentation of Bacillus, Lactobacillus , and yeast with corn, soybean meal, and wheat bran and found a significant downregulation of Oscillospira abundance.…”