Effects of a multicomponent microbial feed additive containing prebiotics and probiotics on health, immune status, metabolism, and performance of newly weaned beef steers during a 35-d receiving period

Abstract

We examined the effects of dietary supplementation of a multi-component blend of prebiotics and probiotics on health, immune status, metabolism, and performance of newly weaned beef steers during a 35-d receiving period. Eighty newly weaned crossbred steers (12-hour post-weaning; 206 ± 12 kg of BW) from a single source were stratified by BW into 4 pens (20 steers per pen) such that each pen had similar BW at the beginning of the experiment. The pens were randomly assigned to receive a corn silage-based diet with no additive (CON; 2 pens; n = 40 steers) or a basal diet supplemented with SYNB feed additive at an average of 28 g/steer/d (SYNB; 2 pens; n = 40 steers). The SYNB additive is a blend of live S. cerevisiae and the fermentation products of S. cerevisiae, Enterococcus lactis, Bacillus licheniformis, and B. subtilis and was supplemented for the first 21 d only. Percentage of steers treated for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) was calculated for each dietary treatment. Daily DMI and meal events (meal frequency and duration) were measured. Weekly body weights were measured to calculate average daily gain (ADG). Blood samples collected on days 0, 14, 21, 28, and 35 were used for ex vivo TNF-α release assay following LPS stimulation, plasma metabolome analysis, and mRNA expression analysis of 84 innate and adaptive immune-related genes. Compared with CON, supplemental SYNB increased (P ≤ 0.05) ADG, DMI, and meal events during the first 7 d. At d 21, there was no treatment effect (P > 0.05) on final BW, DMI, ADG, and meal events; however, beef steers fed supplemental SYNB had greater (P = 0.02) meal duration. Over the entire 35-d receiving period, beef steers fed supplemental SYNB had greater (P = 0.01) ADG and feed efficiency, tended to have greater (P = 0.08) meal duration, and had lower percentage (35 vs. 50%) of animals treated for BRD and lower percentage of sick animals treated for BRD more than once (7.15 vs. 45%). Whole blood expression of pro-inflammatory genes was downregulated while that of anti-inflammatory genes was upregulated in beef steers fed supplemental SYNB. Beef steers fed supplemental SYNB had lower (P = 0.03) plasma concentration of TNF-α after LPS stimulation. Six nutrient metabolic pathways associated with health benefits were enriched (FDR ≤ 0.05) in beef steers fed supplemental SYNB. This study demonstrated that dietary supplementation of SYNB during the first 21 d of arrival reduced BRD morbidity, improved the performance, immune, and metabolic status of beef steers over a 35-d receiving period thereby extending the SYNB effect by a further 14 days post supplementation.

Integrated Microbiota and Metabolome Analysis to Assess the Effects of the Solid-State Fermentation of Corn–Soybean Meal Feed Using Compound Strains

“…Enterococcus and Lactobacillus play key roles in immune function by downregulating the expression of proinflammatory genes and upregulating that of anti-inflammatory genes in the feed of beef steers fed supplemental fermentation products of S. cerevisiae , E. lactis , B. licheniformis , and B. subtilis [ 65 ]. Moreover, Enterococcus and Lactobacillus reportedly improve proteolysis, increase the synthesis of aromatic compounds, and degrade carbohydrates, enhancing the taste and flavor of fermented feed [ 6 ].…”

Characterization of rumen microbiome and immune genes expression of crossbred beef steers with divergent residual feed intake phenotypes

“…Description of the RT2 Profiler PCR Array has been published in our previous study [ 26 ]. The real-time PCR analysis was carried out on a QuantStudio 5 Block Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) using the following cycling conditions: 95 °C for 10 min, 40 cycles of denaturation at 95 °C for 15 s and 60 °C 1 min [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Protective effects of Bacillus licheniformis on growth performance, gut barrier functions, immunity and serum metabolome in lipopolysaccharide-challenged weaned piglets

“…Idowu et al. ( 21 ) reported a protective effect of supplemental feed additives containing B. licheniformis against LPS-induced inflammatory stress or tissue damage in new-weaned beef cattle. However, to our knowledge, there is no comprehensive study of B. licheniformis on growth performance, metabolomics, and intestinal health in pigs in an LPS-challenged model.…”

“…Deng et al (20) found that both B. licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) could promote intestinal growth, improve digestive enzyme activities, and alleviate LPS-induced injury in rats. Idowu et al (21) reported a protective effect of supplemental feed additives containing B. licheniformis against LPS-induced inflammatory stress or tissue damage in new-weaned beef cattle. However, to our knowledge, there is no comprehensive study of B. licheniformis on growth performance, metabolomics, and intestinal health in pigs in an LPS-challenged model.…”