Potential of guar gum as a leaky gut model in broilers: Digestibility, performance, and microbiota responses.

Diet is a major modulator of animal resilience and its three pillars: host's immune response, gut microbiota, and intestinal barrier. In the present study, we endeavour to delineate a challenging condition aimed to degrade these pillars and elucidate its impact on broiler performance and nutrient digestibility. To attain this objective, we opted to use guar gum (GG) as a source of galactomannan. A series of three in vivo experiments were conducted employing conventional or semi-purified diets, supplemented with or without GG during the grower phase (14-28 d). Our findings demonstrate a substantial decline in animal performance metrics such as body weight (reduced by 29%, P < 0.001), feed intake (decreased by 12%, P < 0.001), and feed conversion ratio (up to 58% increase, P < 0.001) in the presence of GG at 2%. The supplementation of a semi-purified diet with incremental doses of GG resulted in a linear reduction (P < 0.001) in the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and apparent metabolisable energy. Additionally, a marked reduction in ileal endogenous losses, as well as apparent and standardised digestibility of all amino acids with varying proportions (P < 0.05), was observed. These alterations were accompanied by disrupted gut integrity assessed by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d) (P < 0.001) as well as an inflammatory status characterised by elevated levels of acute-phase proteins, namely orosomucoid and serum amyloid A in the sera (P = 0.03), and increased mRNA expression levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, Inos, and K203 genes in the ileum, along with a decrease in IgA levels in the gut lumen (P < 0.05). Microbial ecology and activity were characterised by reduced diversity and richness (Shannon index, P = 0.005) in the presence of GG. Consequently, our results revealed diminished levels of short-chain fatty acids (P = 0.01) and their producer genera, such as Clostridium_XIVa and Blautia, in the gut caeca, coupled with excessive accumulation of lactate (17-fold increase, P < 0.01) in the presence of GG at 2%. In addition to providing a more comprehensive characterisation of the GG supplementation as a leaky gut model, our results substantiate a thorough understanding of the intricate adjustments and interplay between the intestinal barrier, immune response, and microbiota. Furthermore, they underscore the significance of feed components in modulating these dynamics.

Protective Effects of Novel Lactobacillaceae Strains Isolated from Chicken Caeca against Necrotic Enteritis Infection: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidences.

The present study aimed to show the benefits of novel lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from the caeca of healthy chickens. These novel strains, identified as Limosilactobacillus reuteri and Ligilactobacillus salivarius, displayed high levels of lactic acid production, capability of biofilm formation, high aggregation and adhesion scores, and significant survival rates under conditions mimicking the chicken gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In addition, these novel Lactobacillaceae isolates were neither hemolytic nor cytotoxic. In vivo trials were able to establish their ability to reduce necrotic enteritis. Notably, a significant weight gain was registered, on day 10 of treatment, in the group of chickens fed with a mixture of L. reuteri ICVB416 and L. salivarius ICVB430 strains, as compared with the control group. This group has also shown a reduced number of lesions in the gut compared with other infected chicken groups. This study provides in vitro and in vivo evidence supporting the benefits of these novel Lactobacillaceae isolates for their use in poultry livestock as protective cultures to control the bacterial necrotic enteritis (NE) Clostridium perfringens.

Antibiotic resistance, genome analysis and further safe traits of Clostridium perfringens ICVB082; a strain capable of producing an inhibitory compound directed only against a closely related pathogenic strain.

Eleven strains of clostridia were isolated from chickens suffering from necrotic enteritis (NE) disease, and were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as C. perfringens (Clin1, ICVB079, ICVB080, ICVB081, ICVB082, ICVB083, ICVB085, ICVB088, ICVB089, ICVB090), C. sporogenes (ICVB086) and C. cadaveris (ICVB087). These novel strains were then characterized for their pathoproperties including their sensitivity to different antibiotics, hemolytic activities and abilities to carry netB gene, which encodes the necrotic enteritis B-Like toxin (NetB); a key virulence factor involved in the NE. Whilst, no antibiotic resistance was detected for all these strains, C. perfringens ICVB081 and C. perfringens Clin1 have ß-hemolytic activities and carry DNA coding for the netB gene. Remarkably, cross-resistant assays performed between these Clostridium strains underpinned the capability of C. perfringens ICVB082 to inhibit the pathogenic C. perfringens DSM756, used as reference strain. This inhibition was exerted through production of an extracellular compound, which was sensitive to heat treatment, lipase and active at pH values ranging from 4 to 7. This report deals with the isolation of novel Clostridium strains from chicken origin and underlines the safety and inhibitory capability of C. perfringens ICVB082 through an extracellular metabolite.

Benefits and Inputs From Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Bacteriocins as Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters During Food-Animal Production.

Resistance to antibiotics is escalating and threatening humans and animals worldwide. Different countries have legislated or promoted the ban of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock and aquaculture to reduce this phenomenon. Therefore, to improve animal growth and reproduction performance and to control multiple bacterial infections, there is a potential to use probiotics as non-antibiotic growth promoters. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) offer various advantages as potential probiotics and can be considered as alternatives to antibiotics during food-animal production. LAB are safe microorganisms with abilities to produce different inhibitory compounds such as bacteriocins, organic acids as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, diacetyl, and carbon dioxide. LAB can inhibit harmful microorganisms with their arsenal, or through competitive exclusion mechanism based on competition for binding sites and nutrients. LAB endowed with specific enzymatic functions (amylase, protease…) can improve nutrients acquisition as well as animal immune system stimulation. This review aimed at underlining the benefits and inputs from LAB as potential alternatives to antibiotics in poultry, pigs, ruminants, and aquaculture production.