Overview of Prebiotics and Probiotics: Focus on Performance, Gut Health and Immunity – A Review

AbstractDue to the threat and emergence of bacterial resistance against antibiotics, the use of in-feed antibiotics at therapeutic and subtherapeutic levels has been limited. Complete withdrawal of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGP) has led to poor gut health signs in chickens that include conditions like wet litter, intestinal bacteria overgrowth, poor growth performance, malabsorption and various diseases. Two of the most common alternatives to AGP are prebiotics and probiotics. Both prebiotics and probiotics have become the potential feed additives that improve the gut health, immune system and microbiota by various mechanisms of action, and enhance growth performance of chickens. The review discusses the modes of action like antibacterial, competitive exclusion (CE), and immunomodulatory properties of prebiotics and probiotics, particularly in poultry.In ovofeeding of prebiotics and probiotics with promising effect on growth performance and reduction of pathogens likeSalmonellais also discussed in this review. However, it is necessary to conduct more research with prebiotics and probiotics as well as other feed additives to understand the detailed mechanisms of action and identify better alternatives for poultry production and health.

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129 Maternal Nutrition and in Ovo Feeding Affect Gut Health and Performance of Poultry

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab235.124 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 68-69

Author(s):

Rajesh Jha ◽

Razib Das ◽

Pravin Mishra

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Maternal Nutrition ◽

Nutrient Utilization ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Limited Information ◽

Gut Health ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

In Ovo ◽

In Ovo Feeding

Abstract Maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is critical for better nutrient utilization, optimum performance, and overall health of poultry. Thus, several nutritional strategies have been tried to improve poultry’s gut health. More recently, different nutrients and feed additives are being used in poultry diets with some success when antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) are not an acceptable option anymore. However, effective modulation of gut health depends on the methods and timing of the compound being available to host animals. Routinely, the alternatives to AGP like prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotic, enzymes, and other nutrients are provided in feed or water to poultry. However, the GIT of the newly hatched poultry is functionally immature, despite going through significant morphological, cellular, and molecular changes toward the end of incubation. Thus, the early growth and development of GIT are of critical importance to enhance nutrients utilization and optimize the growth performance of poultry. Maternal nutrition and in ovo feeding have been used and found to be effective in improving gut health but with inconsistent results. The effects of maternal nutrition on the development and viability of embryo and post-hatch growth performance of birds are documented. However, there is limited information on how maternal nutrition affects the gut health of chicks. In contrast, information on the same from in ovo feeding of nutrients and feed additives has increased in recent years. The results show that in ovo feeding can be a good tool to modulate gut health of post-hatch birds positively. However, more information is needed on the proper route and time of inoculation, optimum doses, and effective combination of different compounds to maximize the benefits of in ovo feeding technique in poultry production.

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Threonine in broiler diets: an updated review

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2018-0020 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 659-674 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Shafqat Nawaz Qaisrani ◽

Ibrar Ahmed ◽

Faheem Azam ◽

Fehmida Bibi ◽

Talat Naseer Pasha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Management Practices ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Carcass Characteristics ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Gut Health ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Gut Morphology ◽

Genetic Potential

Abstract Threonine (Thr) is the third limiting essential amino acid after methionine and lysine in cornsoybean based diets of broilers. Dietary imbalance of Thr, therefore, results in a poor growth performance in broilers. This review summarizes literature data on the known effects of dietary levels of Thr on growth performance, gut morphology, immunity and carcass characteristics in broilers. Due to continuous improvement in genetic potential and management practices for poultry production, dietary Thr requirements are changing. A number of studies have shown that supplementation of Thr in broiler diet at a higher level than the current NRC recommendation (0.74-0.81%), increases body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and improves gut morphology, carcass quality and immune status, mainly by enhancing the functional capability of digestive system and immune organs (spleen, bursa, and thymus). According to the literature data discussed in this review, the minimal and maximal total dietary Thr levels for healthy birds reared in normal conditions were 0.67 and 0.90% for growth performance, 0.77 and 1.1% for a better gut health, 0.60 and 1.02% for immunity and 0.62 and 0.97% for better carcass characteristics. This background provides impetus to further investigate the exact level of Thr and its effects on growth performance, gut morphology, immunity and carcass characteristics in broilers.

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The Effect of α-Monolaurin and Butyrate Supplementation on Broiler Performance and Gut Health in the Absence and Presence of the Antibiotic Growth Promoter Zinc Bacitracin

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10060651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 651

Author(s):

Bakang R. Letlole ◽

Ellen P. C. W. Damen ◽

Christine Jansen van Rensburg

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Resistance ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Gut Health ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Broiler Performance ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Zinc Bacitracin ◽

The Impact

The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) is common practice to improve broiler production and performance. The use of AGP is under discussion as it can induce bacterial resistance. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of removing AGP from broiler feed and study the effect of feed additives. For those countries where in-feed AGP are still permitted, the effect of the products in the presence of AGP was evaluated. Half the number of male broilers received a diet free of AGP, whereas the other half received a diet supplemented with zinc bacitracin at 0.5 g/kg. Both diets were either without additional additives or combined with a coated sodium butyrate, α-monolaurin or a combination of these additives. Raised under optimal conditions, the incorporation of AGP had no effect on broiler performance, but negatively affected villi height and villi height to crypt depth (VH:CD) ratio in the duodenum. In the absence of AGP, butyric acid and α-monolaurin had a positive effect on villi height. In the presence of AGP, α-monolaurin resulted in the lowest feed conversion ratio and improved VH:CD ratio in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Both feed additives had minimal effect on performance parameters but showed small positive effects on gut health in the absence of AGP and could play a role in the strategy to replace AGP.

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Phytogenic Compounds for Enhancing Intestinal Barrier Function in Poultry–A Review

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/a-1524-0358 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Urszula Latek ◽

Magdalena Chłopecka ◽

Wojciech Karlik ◽

Marta Mendel

Keyword(s):

Barrier Function ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Intestinal Barrier ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Intestinal Barrier Function ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Gut Health ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Gut Barrier Function ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters

AbstractAfter the European Union ban of antibiotic growth promoters, works on different methods of improving gut health have intensified. The poultry industry is struggling with problems that were previously controlled by antibiotic growth promoters, therefore the search for optimal solutions continues. Simultaneously, there is also increasing social pressure to minimize the use of antibiotics and replace them with alternative feed additives. A variety of available alternatives is considered safe by consumers, among which phytogenics play a significant role. However, there are still some limitations that need to be considered. The most questionable are the issues related to bioavailability, metabolism of plant derivatives in birds, and the difficulty of standardizing commercial products. There is still a need for more evidence-based recommendations for the use of phytogenics in livestock. On the other hand, a positive influence of phytogenic compounds on the health of poultry has been previously described by many researchers and practical application of these compounds has auspicious perspectives in poultry production. Supplementation with phytogenic feed additives has been shown to protect birds from various environmental threats leading to impaired intestinal barrier function. Phytogenic feed additives have the potential to improve the overall structure of intestinal mucosa as well as gut barrier function on a molecular level. Recognition of the phytogenicsʼ effect on the components of the intestinal barrier may enable the selection of the most suitable ones to alleviate negative effects of different agents. This review aims to summarize current knowledge of the influence of various phytogenic constituents on the intestinal barrier and health of poultry.

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Effects of Dietary Fiber on Nutrients Utilization and Gut Health of Poultry: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11010181 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 181

Author(s):

Amit Kumar Singh ◽

Woo Kyun Kim

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Production Costs ◽

Poultry Feed ◽

Gut Health ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Poultry Diets

Many fibrous ingredients incorporated in poultry feed to reduce production costs have low digestibility and cause poor growth in poultry. However, all plant-based fibers are not equal, and thus exert variable physiological effects on the birds, including but not limited to, digestibility, growth performance, and microbial fermentation. Several types of fibers, especially oligosaccharides, when supplemented in poultry diets in isolated form, exhibit prebiotic effects by enhancing beneficial gut microbiota, modulating gut immunity, boosting intestinal mucosal health, and increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the gut. Recently, poultry producers are also facing the challenge of limiting the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in poultry feed. In addition to other alternatives in use, exogenous non-starch polysaccharides digesting enzymes (NSPase) and prebiotics are being used to provide substrates to support the gut microbiome. We also conducted a meta-analysis of different studies conducted in similar experimental conditions to evaluate the variability and conclusiveness in effects of NSPase on growth performance of broilers fed fibrous ingredients. This review presents a holistic approach in discussing the existing challenges of incorporating high-fiber ingredients in poultry feed, as well as strategies to fully utilize the potential of such ingredients in improving feed efficiency and gut health of poultry.

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Pretreatment with probiotics ameliorate gut health and necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens, a substitute to antibiotics

AMB Express ◽

10.1186/s13568-020-01153-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Danish Sharafat Rajput ◽

Dong Zeng ◽

Abdul Khalique ◽

Samia Sharafat Rajput ◽

Hesong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Broiler Chickens ◽

Production Systems ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Necrotic Enteritis ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Gut Health ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Broiler Performance ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽

Microbial Strains

AbstractNecrotic enteritis (NE) is being considered as one of the most important intestinal diseases in the recent poultry production systems, which causes huge economic losses globally. NE is caused by Clostridium perfringens, a pathogenic bacterium, and normal resident of the intestinal microflora of healthy broiler chickens. Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of broiler chicken is considered as the most integral part of pathogen’s entrance, their production and disease prevention. Interaction between C. perfringens and other pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella present in the small intestine may contribute to the development of NE in broiler chickens. The antibiotic therapy was used to treat the NE; however European Union has imposed a strict ban due to the negative implications of drug resistance. Moreover, antibiotic growth promoters cause adverse effects on human health as results of withdrawal of antibiotic residues in the chicken meat. After restriction on use of antibiotics, numerous studies have been carried out to investigate the alternatives to antibiotics for controlling NE. Thus, possible alternatives to prevent NE are bio-therapeutic agents (Probiotics), prebiotics, organic acids and essential oils which help in nutrients digestion, immunity enhancement and overall broiler performance. Recently, probiotics are extensively used alternatives to antibiotics for improving host health status and making them efficient in production. The aim of review is to describe a replacement to antibiotics by using different microbial strains as probiotics such as bacteria and yeasts etc. having bacteriostatic properties which inhibit growth of pathogens and neutralize the toxins by different modes of action.

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Honeybee and Plant Products as Natural Antimicrobials in Enhancement of Poultry Health and Production

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158467 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8467

Author(s):

Erinda Lika ◽

Marija Kostić ◽

Sunčica Vještica ◽

Ivan Milojević ◽

Nikola Puvača

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Semen Quality ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Safe Alternative ◽

Botanical Products ◽

Poultry Diets

The quality and safety attributes of poultry products have attracted increasing widespread attention and interest from scholarly groups and the general population. As natural and safe alternatives to synthetic and artificial chemical drugs (e.g., antibiotics), botanical products are recently being used in poultry farms more than 60% of the time for producing organic products. Medicinal plants, and honeybee products, are natural substances, and they were added to poultry diets in a small amount (between 1% and 3%) as a source of nutrition and to provide health benefits for poultry. In addition, they have several biological functions in the poultry body and may help to enhance their welfare. These supplements can increase the bodyweight of broilers and the egg production of laying hens by approximately 7% and 10% and enhance meat and egg quality by more than 25%. Moreover, they can improve rooster semen quality by an average of 20%. Previous research on the main biological activities performed by biotics has shown that most research only concentrated on the notion of using botanical products as growth promoters, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agents. In the current review, the critical effects and functions of bee products and botanicals are explored as natural and safe alternative feed additives in poultry production, such as antioxidants, sexual-stimulants, immuno-stimulants, and for producing healthy products.

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195 Does Feeding a Protease and Probiotic (Bacillus Subtilis) Combination (Syncra® SWI) Result in Improved Growth Performance and Mortality in a Commercial Wean-to-finish Swine Feeding Program?

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab054.127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 77-78

Author(s):

Trey A Kellner ◽

Josh Ellingson ◽

Ana L P de Souza ◽

Janet C Remus

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Experimental Unit ◽

Gut Health ◽

Wide Range ◽

Feeding Program ◽

Feed Costs ◽

Combined Feed

Abstract The response to probiotics and enzymes is often documented in research facilities with a high degree of control and via pigs with no insults to health or feed intake. However, in commercial conditions, the response to feed additives promoting advanced gut health and improved digestion must be consistent and defined over a wide range of health statuses, stocking densities, feed intakes, environments, and diet formulations. The objective of this experiment was to determine if a combined feed protease and probiotic system (Syncra® SWI 201, DuPont, Wilmington, DE) would improve growth performance and mortality under commercial conditions. A total of 127,092 pigs (6.0 ± 0.1 kg; PIC 337 sired, Hendersonville, TN) from a sow farm producing porcine reproductive and respiratory virus and rotavirus positive weaned pigs were placed in 53 2,400-head commercial wean-to-finish barns that were alternated to 1 of 2 treatments (a control treatment without Syncra® SWI (SSWI) or with SSWI included at 72.6 g/ton of finished feed from 22.7 kg of BW to harvest) in a rolling allotment over a 12-month period. Pigs were on the experiment for an average of 162 ± 1.0 days (until harvest). Throughout the 12-month experimental period, diets (outside of the SSWI inclusion) could change in order to maximize return over feed costs. Data were analyzed using Proc MIXED (SAS 9.4; Cary, NC) with treatment as the main effect and barn as the experimental unit. Compared to the control, adding SSWI improved mortality by 1.9% and percent grade 1 marketed pigs by 2.2% (P ≤ 0.025). Compared to the control, SSWI did not improve ADG (control = 0.75 vs. SSWI = 0.78 kg) or gain:feed (control = 0.401 vs. SSWI = 0.396). In conclusion, the inclusion of the SSWI combined feed protease and probiotic system can improve mortality and grade 1 marketed pigs, but not growth performance under commercial conditions.

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Embryonic Thermal Manipulation and in ovo Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Supplementation Regulating the Chick Weight and Stress-Related Genes at Hatch

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.807450 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Akshat Goel ◽

Chris Major Ncho ◽

Chae-Mi Jeong ◽

Yang-Ho Choi

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Organ Weight ◽

Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Related Gene ◽

In Ovo ◽

Stress Related Genes ◽

Thermal Manipulation

Chickens are exposed to numerous types of stress from hatching to shipping, influencing poultry production. Embryonic manipulation may develop resistance against several stressors. This study investigates the effects of thermoneutral temperature (T0; 37.8°C) with no injection (N0) (T0N0), T0 with 0.6 ml of 10% in ovo gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) supplementation (N1) at 17.5th embryonic day (ED) (T0N1), thermal manipulation (T1) at 39.6°C from the 10th to 18th ED (6 h/day) with N0 (T1N0), and T1 with N1 (T1N1) on hatchability parameters and hepatic expression of stress-related genes in day-old Arbor Acres chicks. The parameters determined were hatchability, body weight (BW), organ weight, hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant-related gene expression. Percent hatchability was calculated on a fertile egg basis. Growth performance was analyzed using each chick as an experimental unit. Eight birds per group were used for organ weight. Two-way ANOVA was used taking temperature and GABA as the main effect for growth performance and gene expression studies. Analysis was performed using an IBM SPSS statistics software package 25.0 (IBM software, Chicago, IL, USA). Hatchability was similar in all the groups and was slightly lower in the T1N1. Higher BW was recorded in both T1 and N1. Intestinal weight and MDA were higher in T0N1 against T0N0 and T1N1, respectively. The expression of HSP70, HSP90, NOX1, and NOX4 genes was higher and SOD and CAT genes were lower in the T1 group. The present results show that T1 and N1 independently improve the BW of broiler chicks at hatch, but T1 strongly regulates stress-related gene expression and suggests that both T1 and N1 during incubation can improve performance and alleviate stress after hatch.

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Growth performance and gut health of Escherichia coli-challenged weaned pigs fed diets supplemented with a Bacillus subtilis direct-fed microbial

Translational Animal Science ◽

10.1093/tas/txaa172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Sangwoo Park ◽

Jung Wook Lee ◽

Kevin Jerez Bogota ◽

David Francis ◽

Jolie Caroline González-Vega ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Bacillus Subtilis ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Feed Efficiency ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

E Coli

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a direct-fed microbial (DFM) product (Bacillus subtilis strain DSM 32540) in weaned pigs challenged with K88 strain of Escherichia coli on growth performance and indicators of gut health. A total of 21 weaned pigs [initial body weight (BW) = 8.19 kg] were housed individually in pens and fed three diets (seven replicates per diet) for 21 d in a completely randomized design. The three diets were a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet without feed additives, a basal diet with 0.25% antibiotics (neo-Oxy 10-10; neomycin + oxytetracycline), or a basal diet with 0.05% DFM. All pigs were orally challenged with a subclinical dose (6.7 × 108 CFU/mL) of K88 strain of E. coli on day 3 of the study (3 d after weaning). Feed intake and BW data were collected on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21. Fecal scores were recorded daily. On day 21, pigs were sacrificed to determine various indicators of gut health. Supplementation of the basal diet with antibiotics or DFM did not affect the overall (days 0–21) growth performance of pigs. However, antibiotics or DFM supplementation increased (P = 0.010) gain:feed (G:F) of pigs during the post-E. coli challenge period (days 3–21) by 23% and 24%, respectively. The G:F for the DFM-supplemented diet did not differ from that for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. The frequency of diarrhea for pigs fed a diet with antibiotics or DFM tended to be lower (P = 0.071) than that of pigs fed the basal diet. The jejunal villous height (VH) and the VH to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) were increased (P < 0.001) by 33% and 35%, respectively, due to the inclusion of antibiotics in the basal diet and by 43% and 41%, respectively due to the inclusion of DFM in the basal diet. The VH and VH:CD for the DFM-supplemented diet were greater (P < 0.05) than those for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. Ileal VH was increased (P < 0.05) by 46% due to the inclusion of DFM in the basal diet. The empty weight of small intestine, cecum, or colon relative to live BW was unaffected by dietary antibiotics or DFM supplementation. In conclusion, the addition of DFM to the basal diet improved the feed efficiency of E. coli-challenged weaned pigs to a value similar to that of the antibiotics-supplemented diet and increased jejunal VH and VH:CD ratio to values greater than those for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. Thus, under E. coli challenge, the test DFM product may replace the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter in diets for weaned pigs to improve feed efficiency and gut integrity.

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