ARS | Publication request: Ileal and cecal microbial populations in broilers given specific essential oil blends and probiotics in two consecutive grow-outs

Submitted to: Poultry and Avian Biology Reviews
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 5, 2010
Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Citation: Oviedo-Rondon, E.O., Hume, M.E., Barbosa, N.A., Sakomura, N.K., Weber, G., Wilson, J.W. 2010. Ileal and cecal microbial populations in broilers given specific essential oil blends and probiotics in two consecutive grow-outs. Poultry and Avian Biology Reviews. 3:157-169.

Technical Abstract: Digestive microbial populations (MP) are key components for sustained healthy broiler production. Specific essential oil (EO) blends and probiotics used as feed additives have shown to promote healthy digestive microbials, resulting in improved poultry production. Two consecutive experiments were conducted with broilers fed corn-soybean meal diets with inclusion of 5% dried distillers grains with solubles and supplemented with 2 EO blends and 3 probiotics to determine comparative effects on ileal and cecal MP. Ross 708 broilers were placed in 12 pens with previously used litter and treatments maintained in the same pens for both experiments. Treatment groups were fed diets containing: 1) BMD as positive control (PC) and no additives as negative control (NC); 2) 3 probiotics including BC-30, BioPlus 2B (B2B), and Calsporin; 3) the EO blend Crina Poultry Plus (CPP) at 300 or 150 ppm in the first experiment; 4) and CPP at 300 ppm and Crina Poultry AF at 100 ppm in Experiment 2. Starter and grower diets contained the ionophore (Coban). Ileal and cecal samples were collected at 43 d of age. Digesta sample DNA was isolated, adjusted in concentration, PCR-amplified 16S rDNA gene V3 hypervariable region, and analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to generate % similarity coefficients (%SC) from band pattern dendrograms. Differences were observed in ileal and cecal populations, respectively, with the expected variation between broiler flocks (Exp. 1 vs Exp. 2), as well as differences due to treatments. The MP in ilea and ceca of control groups were similar with at least 81%SC and 94.8%SC, respectively. In both experiments, broilers from positive and negative control treatments had similar ileal and cecal MP. Broilers fed diets with probiotics had very similar MP. The EO CPP at 300 ppm resulted in ileal MP similar to those observed in chickens fed probiotics. We concluded that antibiotic treatment did not dramatically alter ileal and cecal MP. More pronounced changes in ileal and cecal MP were seen in broilers at 43 d of age following probiotic and EO treatments.