Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 Supplementation Attenuates the Effects of Clostridium perfringens Challenge on the Growth Performance and Intestinal Microbiota of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 (probiotic) on the performance and intestinal microbiota of broiler chickens infected with Clostridium perfringens (CP). One-day-old broiler chickens were assigned to 3 treatments with 8 replicate pens (50 birds/pen). The treatments were: non-infected control; infected control; and infected supplemented with probiotic (1 × 106 CFU/g of feed). On day of hatch, all birds were sprayed with a coccidia vaccine based on the manufacturer recommended dosage. On d 18–20 the infected birds were inoculated with CP via feed. Necrotic enteritis (NE) lesion score was performed on d 21. Digestive tract of 2 birds/pen was collected on d 21 to analyze the ileal and cecal microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing. Performance was evaluated on d 28 and 42. On d 21, probiotic supplementation reduced (p < 0.001) the severity of NE related lesion versus infected control birds. On d 28, feed efficiency was improved (p < 0.001) in birds supplemented with probiotic versus infected control birds. On d 42, body weight gain (BW gain) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were improved (p < 0.001) in probiotic supplemented birds versus infected control birds. The diversity, composition and predictive function of the intestinal microbial digesta changed with the infection but the supplementation of probiotic reduced these variations. Therefore, dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 was beneficial in attenuating the negative effects of CP challenge on the performance and intestinal microbiota of broilers chickens.

Effect of Heat-Inactivated Compound Probiotics on Growth Performance, Plasma Biochemical Indices, and Cecal Microbiome in Yellow-Feathered Broilers

“…Based on the predictive microbial function analysis of microbiota by PICRUSt, the metabolic pathways related to methane metabolism, transcription machinery, purine metabolism and protein export were enriched by heat-inactivated compound probiotics. Similar work on broilers revealed that live probiotic supplementation modulated the diversity and composition of ileal and cecal microbiota, and enriched pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism whereas decreasing pathways of protein metabolism (Bortoluzzi et al, 2019).…”

Dietary Supplementation With Bacillus subtilis Direct-Fed Microbials Alters Chicken Intestinal Metabolite Levels

“…In a C. perfringens/Eimeria maxima coinfection model of avian necrotic enteritis, feeding of B. subtilis reduced gut pathology and animal mortality, and restored alterations in the intestinal microbiome, compared with controls (22). Other studies have confirmed the ability of Bacillus DFMs to reduce C. perfringens colonization of the intestinal mucosa and improve animal growth performance in avian necrotic enteritis (36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41). In general, while the beneficial effect of Bacillus DFMs on body weight gains in healthy, uninfected chickens is generally moderate (<10%), a more pronounced outcome of the dietary supplements has been observed when weight loss is aggravated as a consequence of pathogenic infection (42).…”

Managing broilers gut health with antibiotic-free diets during subclinical necrotic enteritis

“…perfringens , either directly or via promoting growth of other bacterial species that may competitively exclude Clostridia . Relative abundance of Bacteroides in the ileal digesta of broiler chickens increases with NE challenge ( Bortoluzzi et al., 2019 ). Bacteroides and Prevotellaceae can degrade mucus oligosaccharides, which results in the disruption of intestinal mucosal barrier, thus causing intestinal inflammation ( Rho et al., 2005 ; Berry et al., 2015 ).…”