Comparative studies of the administration of dairy propionibacteria as dietary supplement in poultry: effect of the doses

ELOY ARGAÑARAZ MARTÍNEZ; JAIME DANIEL BABOT; ADRIANA PEREZ CHAIA; MARÍA CRISTINA APELLA

San Miguel de Tucumán

Simposio; IV Simposio Internacional de Bacterias Lácticas; 2013

Researchers engaged in the study of probiotics for poultry have reported that the combined use of probiotic strains offers greater benefits during breeding by improving production and preventing infections. Propionibacteria are considered as potential probiotics that exhibit physiological and functional features of great interest such as production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAT) in the intestine. They may influence the development of mucose and the establishment of beneficial microbiota populations. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the administration of Propionibacterium acidipropionici LET105 and LET107 combined (PAB) in BB chicks for 21 days. The doses of PAB tested were 106 and 108 CFU/mL supplemented in the drinking water. Feed conversion (FC) and products of cecal fermentation by HPLC were carried out. Furthermore, at the end of the trial, histomorphometric analysis by HE/PAS and cecal microbiota count by FISH with genus specific probes were done. FC was efficient in the group consuming the highest PAB dose. There were no differences in fermentation products between groups at day 7 except for the propionic acid detected only in the PAB group treated with 108 UFC/mL. Lactic acid and ethanol showed lower concentrations in animals receiving PAB. The SCFAT at 14 days were significantly increased in the highest dose PAB group with 129.7 ± 18.7 µmol/g and a high amount of acetic acid. This increase in organic acid coincided with the pH decrease observed in the intestinal contents of these animals. Lactic acid and ethanol levels decreased compared to day 7, indicating a change in the composition and / or activity of microbiota. On day 21, the SCFAT decreased in all groups. Lactobacilli and enterococci populations did not differ between groups and neither did clostridia and bacteroides. Bifidobacteria reached significant counts 7.95 ± 0.24 log cells/g in the group receiving the highest dose of PAB. Propionibacteria which joined the microbiota reach levels of 8.05 ± 0.41 log cells/g. These results are probably due to the production of bifidogenic factors by PAB which also showed high counts. The length of the villi-crypt unit from ileum was significantly greater for both PAB doses, being 569.82 ± 33.88 µm for the highest dose. This was accompanied by an increased epithelial cells number being 219 ± 11 cells/villi-crypt unit. Animals who received the highest dose showed the largest number of goblet cells PAS (+), 50 ± 5 cells/villi-crypt unit. We concluded that an equilibrium between the production of SCFAT by the microbiota and the absorption of these acids as an energy source by the intestine was reached in the cecum. This allowed a prime development of the gut. According to the above findings, the combined administration of the strains P. acidipropionici LET105 and LET107 in dose 108 CFU/mL was the most efficient and effective probiotic supplement during breeding poultry.