Analysis of gut microbiota and the effect of lauric acid against necrotic enteritis in Clostridium perfringens and Eimeria side-by-side challenge model

Abstract

Gut microbiota has been demonstrated to be involved in intestinal nutrition, defense, and immunity, as well as participating in disease progression. This study was to investigate gut microbiota changes in chickens challenged with netB -positive Clostridium perfringens strain (CP1) and/or the predisposing Eimeria species ( Eimeria ) and fed diets with fishmeal supplementation. In addition, the effects of lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA), on necrotic enteritis (NE) reduction and modulation of microbiota were evaluated. The results demonstrated that microbial communities in the jejunum were distinct from those in the cecum, and the microbial community change was more significant in jejunum. Challenge of CP1 in conjunction with Eimeria significantly reduced species diversity in jejunal microbiota, but cecal microbiota remained stable. In the jejunum, CP1 challenge increased the abundance of the genera of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 , Escherichia Shigella , and Weissella , but significantly decreased the population of Lactobacillus . Eimeria infection on its own was unable to promote NE, demonstrating decrements of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Lactobacillus . Co-infection with CP1 and Eimeria reproduced the majority of NE lesions with significant increment of C lostridium sensu stricto 1 and reduction in Lactobacillus . The advance of changes on these two taxa increased the severity of NE lesions. Further analyses of metagenomeSeq, STAMP, and LEfSe consistently showed significant overgrowth of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 was associated with NE. The supplementation of lauric acid did not reduce NE incidence and severity but decreased the relative abundance of Escherichia Shigella . In conclusion, significant overgrowth of C . perfringens as well as other Clostridium species in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 with the decrement of Lactobacillus in the jejunum is the featured microbiota correlated with NE. Controlling proliferation of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and manipulation of Lactobacillus in the jejunum should be the strategy to prevent NE.

Phellinus linteus polysaccharide extract improves insulin resistance by regulating gut microbiota composition

“…12,42 Abundance of butyrate-producing Blautia was correlated with high-carbohydrate content. In the present study, the PLPE group showed reduced levels of LPS-producing Escherichia-Shigella, 11 necrotic enteritis-related Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, 47 conditionally pathogenic Bacteroidales_S24-7_group, 43 and intestinal mucin-degraded Akkermansia. 46 Low levels of SCFA-producing bacteria in diabetic rats are enhanced by PLPE treatment.…”

Genomic analysis on broiler-associated Clostridium perfringens strains and exploratory caecal microbiome investigation reveals key factors linked to poultry necrotic enteritis

“…Other aetiological factors that have been shown to increase risk of NE include high-protein diets and environmental stressors, which may alter gut-associated microbial communities (i.e. the microbiota), host immunity, and coinfection with the poultry parasite Eimeria [8][9][10]. In addition, sub-clinical NE (SNE), which is a mild form of NE, is represented by poor growth and small intestinal ulcerative lesions and has also been associated with C. perfringens colonisation [7,11].…”

Preparation of Necrotic Enteritis Vaccine for Turkey

“…Necrotic enteritis via of proliferations of Clostridium perfringens type A and associated toxins in the small intestine of birds can be a harmful enteric disease which cause unexpected mortality, sudden diarrhea and mucosal necrosis. It also has contributed to high economic losses in global poultry industry (Yang et al, 2019) An important defense system that constantly utilized and trigger was the adaptive immune system through application of vaccines. Vaccines had proven to be effective tools to prevent or lessen the impact of diseases which biosecurity alone cannot prevent.…”