Postnatal development of the rabbit caecal microbiota composition and activity

Combes, Sylvie; Michelland, Rory; Monteils, Valérie; Cauquil, Laurent; Soulié, Vincent; Tran, Ngoc Uyen; Gidenne, T.; Fortun-Lamothe, Laurence

doi:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01148.x

Cited by 75 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…The count of strictly anaerobic bacteria (mainly Bacteroides) within the caecal ecosystem was consistent with data reported in the literature (Gouet and Fonty, 1979;Fekete, 1988;Ková cs et al, 2002;Combes et al, 2011). The decrease in their germ count observed on day 28 is attributable to caecotrophy starting at approximately 21 days of age (Smith, 1965).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The increase of the butyrate concentration might be explained by an increase in some butyrate-producing bacteria. This hypothesis was supported by the results of Combes et al (2011) who described the development of the rabbit caecum microbiota and its metabolic activities from the neonatal (day 2) until the subadult period (day 70) using 16S rRNA gene approaches coupled with capillary electrophoresis single-stranded conformation polymorphism (CE-SSCP). They found that at 70 days of age, the Firmicutes populations remained at high levels, whereas Bacteroides-Prevotella decreased, resulting in higher butyrate production.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

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Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Kovács

Bónai

Szendrő

et al. 2012

Animal

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The effect of different weaning ages, that is, 21 (G21), 28 (G28) or 35 (G35) days, on growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract was examined in rabbits to assess the risk of early weaning attributable to the less-developed digestive system. On days 35 and 42, G35 rabbits had 10% to 14% and 10% higher BW, respectively (P , 0.05), than those weaned at days 21 and 28. In the 4th week of life, early weaned animals had 75% higher feed intake than G28 and G35 rabbits (P , 0.05). The relative weight of the liver increased by 62% between 21 and 28 days of age, and thereafter it decreased by 76% between 35 and 42 days of age (P , 0.05), with G21 rabbits having 29% higher weight compared with G35 animals on day 35 (P , 0.05). The relative weight of the whole gastrointestinal (GI) tract increased by 49% and 22% after weaning in G21 and G28 rabbits, respectively (P , 0.05). On day 28, the relative weight of the GI tract was 19% higher in G21 than in G28 rabbits, whereas on day 35 G21 and G28 animals had a 12% heavier GI tract compared with G35 rabbits (P , 0.05). Age influenced the ratio of stomach, small intestine and caecum within the GI tract; however, no effect of different weaning age was demonstrated. The pH value of the stomach and caecum decreased from 5.7 to 1.6 and from 7.1 to 6.3, respectively, whereas that of the small intestine increased from 6.8 to 8.4 (P , 0.05); the differences between groups were not statistically significant. Strictly anaerobic culturable bacteria were present in the caecum in high amounts (10 8 ), already at 14 days of age; no significant difference attributable to weaning age was demonstrable. The concentration of total volatile fatty acids (tVFA) was higher in G21 than in G28 and G35 throughout the experimental period (P , 0.05). The proportion of acetic and butyric acid within tVFA increased, whereas that of propionic acid decreased, resulting in a C 3 : C 4 ratio decreasing with age. Early weaning (G21) resulted in higher butyric acid and lower propionic acid proportions on day 28 (P , 0.05). No interaction between age and treatment was found, except in relative weight of the GI tract and caecal content. In conclusion, early weaning did not cause considerable changes in the digestive physiological parameters measured, but it resulted in 10% lower growth in rabbits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Kovács

Bónai

Szendrő

et al. 2012

Animal

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“…During the first few weeks of life, the caecal bacterial community is composed of equal numbers of strict anaerobes and facultative anaerobes; then the abundance of the latter falls rapidly and may disappear in some individuals after weaning . Bacteria of the Bacteroides Prevotella group were detected from 2 to 3 days of age (Ková cs et al, 2006;Combes et al, 2011) to reach a peak at 21 days . Moreover, 7 days after birth, archaea are present in the caecum at a significant level (10 5 copies of 16S rDNA/g) .…”

Section: Plasticity Of Microbiotamentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering the rabbit digestive ecosystem to improve digestive health and efficacy

Combes

Fortun-Lamothe

Cauquil

et al. 2013

Animal

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In rabbits, the bacterial and archaeal community of caecal ecosystem is composed mostly of species not yet described and very specific to that species. In mammals, the digestive ecosystem plays important physiological roles: hydrolysis and fermentation of nutrients, immune system regulation, angiogenesis, gut development and acting as a barrier against pathogens. Understanding the functioning of the digestive ecosystem and how to control its functional and specific diversity is a priority, as this could provide new strategies to improve the resistance of the young rabbit to digestive disorders and improve feed efficiency. This review first recalls some facts about the specificity of rabbit digestive microbiota composition in the main fermentation compartment, and its variability with some new insights based on recent molecular approaches. The main functions of the digestive microbiota will then be explained. Finally, some possible ways to control rabbit caecal microbiota will be proposed and a suitable timing for action will be defined.

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“…These animals are monogastric herbivores and have a unique intestinal microbiota. The latest techniques in molecular biology revealed that the predominant phylum of the faecal microbiota is the Firmicutes, whereas the Bacteroidetes, previously considered the most abundant, represent only 4% of the 16S rDNA of faecal content (Combes et al, 2011). Genera such as Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus and Escherichia are considered to be in low density or even rare in the digestive microbiota of rabbits (Combes et al, 2011;Eshar and Weese, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latest techniques in molecular biology revealed that the predominant phylum of the faecal microbiota is the Firmicutes, whereas the Bacteroidetes, previously considered the most abundant, represent only 4% of the 16S rDNA of faecal content (Combes et al, 2011). Genera such as Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus and Escherichia are considered to be in low density or even rare in the digestive microbiota of rabbits (Combes et al, 2011;Eshar and Weese, 2014). However, feed supplementation with probiotics composed of such unusual bacterial inhabitants was already reported as being successful in increasing the faecal levels of certain beneficial intestinal bacteria in healthy adult rabbits (Benato et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of competitive exclusion in rabbits using an autochthonous probiotic

et al. 2017

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Animal nutrition has been severely challenged by the ban on antimicrobials as growth promoters. This has fostered the study of alternative methods to avoid colonisation by pathogenic bacteria as well as to improve the growth of animals and feed conversion efficiency. These new options should not alter the normal intestinal microbiota, or affect it as little as possible. The use of probiotics, which are live microorganisms that beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, can be seen as a promising way to achieve that goal. In this study, New Zealand White rabbits were fed diets containing an autochthonous probiotic of Enterococcus spp., with the strains EaI, EfaI and EfaD, and Escherichia coli, with the strains ECI 1, ECI 2 and ECD, during a 25-d trial, to evaluate the impact of the probiotic on the faecal microbiota, including population dynamics and antimicrobial resistance profiles. A control group of rabbits, which was fed a diet containing a commonly used mixture of antimicrobials (colistin, oxytetracycline, and valnemulin), was also studied. To assess the colonisation ability of the mentioned probiotic, the faecal microbiota of the rabbits was characterised up to 10 d after the administration had ended. Isolates of enterococci and E. coli were studied for phylogenetic relationships using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC-PCR) and pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. Although partially affected by an unexpected clinical impairment suffered by the rabbits in the experimental group, our results showed the following. The difference between the growth rate of the animals treated with antimicrobials and those fed the probiotic was not statistically significant (P> 0.05). The competitive exclusion product was present in the faecal samples in a large proportion, but stopped being recovered by culture as soon as the administration ended and the housing conditions were changed. Multidrug-resistant strains of enterococci and E. coli were more commonly recovered from faecal samples of animals fed diets containing antimicrobials, than from rabbits fed diets with our probiotic formula. The use of E. coli probiotics to prevent infection by enteropathogenic strains must be carefully considered due to the possible occurrence of gastrointestinal signs. On the other hand, enterococci strains may be more effective, but lack the long-term colonisation ability.

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Postnatal development of the rabbit caecal microbiota composition and activity

Cited by 75 publications

References 44 publications

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Effect of different weaning ages (21, 28 or 35 days) on production, growth and certain parameters of the digestive tract in rabbits

Engineering the rabbit digestive ecosystem to improve digestive health and efficacy

Effect of competitive exclusion in rabbits using an autochthonous probiotic

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