The chicken gastrointestinal microbiome

Abstract

The domestic chicken is a common model organism for human biological research and of course also forms the basis of a global protein industry. Recent methodological advances have spurred the recognition of microbiomes as complex communities with important influences on the health and disease status of the host. In this minireview, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge of the chicken gastrointestinal microbiome focusing on spatial and temporal variability, the presence and importance of human pathogens, the influence of the microbiota on the immune system, and the importance of the microbiome for poultry nutrition. Review and meta-analysis of public data showed cecal communities dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroides at the phylum level, while at finer levels of taxonomic resolution, a phylogenetically diverse assemblage of microorganisms appears to have similar metabolic functions that provide important benefits to the host as inferred from metagenomic data. This observation of functional redundancy may have important implications for management of the microbiome. We foresee advances in strategies to improve gut health in commercial operations through management of the intestinal microbiota as an alternative to in-feed subtherapeutic antibiotics, improvements in pre- and probiotics, improved management of polymicrobial poultry diseases, and better control of human pathogens via colonization reduction or competitive exclusion strategies.

Editorial: Gut Health: The New Paradigm in Food Animal Production

“…The gut microbiota confers health benefits to the host, including aiding in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, contributing to the construction of the intestinal epithelial barrier, the development and function of the host immune system, and competing with pathogenic microbes to prevent their harmful propagation (18, 21). Unlike the host genome, which is rarely manipulated by xenobiotic intervention, the microbiome is readily changeable by diet, ingestion of antibiotics, infection by pathogens, and other life events [; ; ; ; (8)].…”

“…Gut health is synonymous in animal production industries with animal health. Although there does appear to be a direct relationship between animal performance and a “healthy” gastrointestinal tract (GIT), there is no clear definition for “gut health” that encompasses a number of physiological and functional features, including nutrient digestion and absorption, host metabolism and energy generation, a stable microbiome, mucus layer development, barrier function, and mucosal immune responses (1–8). The GIT is responsible for regulating physiological homeostasis that provides the host the ability to withstand infectious and non-infectious stressors (9–19).…”

Growth, body characteristics and blood parameters of ostrich chickens receiving commercial probiotics

“…Blood plasma was isolated by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 20 min at 4ºC and aliquots were stored at -20ºC for analysis. Aliquots were analysed for glucose (Barham & Trinder, 1972), alkaline phosphatase (Bessey et al, 1946), uric acid, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low density lipoproteins tant difference in gastrointestinal tract physiology may also allow the ostrich to have different microbiota populations in terms of diversity and amount (Ahir et al, 2012;Oakley et al, 2014;Waite & Taylor, 2014). Thus, it may be expected that the effects of probiotics in ostriches may differ to those in broilers.…”

Impact of Intestinal Health at Poultry

“…1 The diversification of the intestinal microbiome allows innumerable interactions with the host to occur, thus exerting an important function for the growth of the animals, also contributing to their health. 2 Throughout the intestinal tract, the microbial composition differs, that is, each section of the intestine has its own microenvironment, where the colonies of specific microorganisms that best identify with the site remain. 3 In the duodenum, the pH is neutral and the microorganisms colonize this compartment, as well as the jejunum and ileum.…”