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Ameer A, Cheng Y, Saleem F, Uzma, McKenna A, Richmond A, Gundogdu O, Sloan WT, Javed S, Ijaz UZ. Temporal stability and community assembly mechanisms in healthy broiler cecum. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1197838. [PMID: 37779716 PMCID: PMC10534011 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1197838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an unprecedented advancement in in situ analytical approaches that contribute to the mechanistic understanding of microbial communities by explicitly incorporating ecology and studying their assembly. In this study, we have analyzed the temporal profiles of the healthy broiler cecal microbiome from day 3 to day 35 to recover the stable and varying components of microbial communities. During this period, the broilers were fed three different diets chronologically, and therefore, we have recovered signature microbial species that dominate during each dietary regime. Since broilers were raised in multiple pens, we have also parameterized these as an environmental condition to explore microbial niches and their overlap. All of these analyses were performed in view of different parameters such as body weight (BW-mean), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and age (days) to link them to a subset of microbes that these parameters have a bearing upon. We found that gut microbial communities exhibited strong and statistically significant specificity for several environmental variables. Through regression models, genera that positively/negatively correlate with the bird's age were identified. Some short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria, including Izemoplasmatales, Gastranaerophilales, and Roseburia, have a positive correlation with age. Certain pathogens, such as Escherichia-Shigella, Sporomusa, Campylobacter, and Enterococcus, negatively correlated with the bird's age, which indicated a high disease risk in the initial days. Moreover, the majority of pathways involved in amino acid biosynthesis were also positively correlated with the bird's age. Some probiotic genera associated with improved performance included Oscillospirales; UCG-010, Shuttleworthia, Bifidobacterium, and Butyricicoccaceae; UCG-009. In general, predicted antimicrobial resistance genes (piARGs) contributed at a stable level, but there was a slight increase in abundance when the diet was changed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies looking at the stability, complexity, and ecology of natural broiler microbiota development in a temporal setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqsa Ameer
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Youqi Cheng
- Water and Environment Research Group, Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Farrukh Saleem
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Uzma
- Water and Environment Research Group, Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Ozan Gundogdu
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - William T. Sloan
- Water and Environment Research Group, Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Sundus Javed
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Umer Zeeshan Ijaz
- Water and Environment Research Group, Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Folic Acid: Sources, Chemistry, Absorption, Metabolism, Beneficial Effects on Poultry Performance and Health. Vet Med Int 2022; 2022:2163756. [PMID: 36032042 PMCID: PMC9417761 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2163756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the study of the effects of folic acid (FA) on poultry because it was observed that FA could overcome problems in poultry health while improving its performance. FA, or folate, is a water-soluble B vitamin essential in poultry, so FA intake must be available in the feed. Sources of FA in feed come from plants or animals, and animal sources have relatively more stable FA. The ingested FA will be absorbed in the intestinal lumen and transported into the liver through the blood vessels. Therefore, FA has a positive effect on the performance and health status of poultry. The effect of FA on poultry performance is to increase reproductive tract development, FA content in eggs, hatchability, weight gain, average initial body weight, feed intake, relative growth rate, chick body weight, breast fillet percentage, and reduce FCR and white striping score. At the same time, the effect on poultry health influences antioxidant activities, thyroid hormones, blood biochemicals, anti-inflammatory gene expressions, and immune responses. The present review deals with FA sources, chemistry, absorption, metabolism, effects on performance, and poultry health, which are based on valid basic information.
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