Effect of Bacillus pumilus 3-19 protease on growth parameters and gut microbiome of broiler chickens

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of adding protease obtained from the Bacillus pumilus 3-19 strain to the diet of Hubboard broiler chickens on the growth indicators of poultry and the composition of the cecum microbiota of broiler chickens. As a result of metagenomic analysis of 16S rRNA genes in the contents of the cecum of chickens, it was shown that the control and experimental groups formed two separate clusters, which indicates differences in microbial communities in these two groups. Analysis of alpha diversity showed an increase in species richness in the group of chickens that received protease as a feed additive. On day 35, both groups were dominated by bacterium of Firmicutes (21.13 — 49.01%) and Bacteroidetes (37.68 — 67.72%) groups. It was shown that in the group of chickens receiving protease as a feed additive, the average daily gain in live weight was higher than in the control group by 0.5 kg (P < 0.05). The introduction of protease resulted in an increased F/B ratio, which was positively correlated with chicken body weight. Thus, the addition of B. pumilus 3-19 protease to broiler feed leads to improved feed intake and digestibility, which is of great importance for reducing the cost of the final product. The use of protease regulates the cecum microbiota of broiler chickens and increases microbial diversity on 35 day of chicken growth.