Synbiotic supplementation to decrease Salmonella colonization in the intestine and carcass contamination in broiler birds

PLoS One. 2019 Oct 10;14(10):e0223577. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223577. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to study the effects of synbiotic supplementation on Salmonella enterica ser. Enteritidis (SE) proliferation, cecal content load, and broiler carcass contamination. Lactobacillus reuteri, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium animalis, and Pediococcus acidilactici culture supernatants decreased (P < 0.05) the in vitro proliferation of SE at 1:1 supernatant: pathogen dilution. A total of 240 Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to three treatment groups (8 replicates/group with 10 birds/replicate): control (basal diet), antibiotic (Virginiamycin at 20 mg/kg feed), synbiotic (PoultryStar® ME at 0.5 g/kg feed containing L. reuteri, E. faecium, B. animalis, P. acidilactici and a Fructooligosaccharide) from day of hatch. At 21 d of age, all birds in experimental groups were orally inoculated with 250 μl of 1 X 109 CFU SE. Antibiotic supplementation increased (P < 0.05) body weight and feed consumption, compared to the control group. Birds in the synbiotic supplementation had intermediate body weight and feed consumption that were not significantly different from both the control and antibiotic group at 42 d of age in SE infected birds. No significant effects were observed in feed efficiency at 42 d of age among the groups. Antibiotic and synbiotic supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) SE load in cecal contents by 0.90 and 0.85 log units/ g and carcass SE load by 1.4 and 1.5 log units/mL of rinsate compared to the control group at 42 d of age (21 dpi). The relative abundance of IL-10, IL-1, TLR-4, and IFNγ mRNA was decreased (P < 0.05) in the antibiotic and synbiotic supplementation groups compared to the control birds at 42 d of age (21 dpi). It can be concluded that synbiotic supplementation decreased SE proliferation in vitro and decreased SE load in the cecal contents and broiler carcass.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cecum / microbiology
  • Chickens / genetics
  • Chickens / microbiology*
  • Dietary Supplements*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Intestines / microbiology*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Salmonella / growth & development*
  • Salmonella Infections, Animal / microbiology
  • Synbiotics / administration & dosage*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger

Grants and funding

This work was funded partially supported by BIOMIN fund awarded to RS and Hatch grant and USDA-NIFA grant 2017-05035 awarded to RKS. The funders had no role in study design, data role of authors in this manuscript is mentioned in authors contribution section collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific contribution of authors in this manuscript is mentioned in authors contribution section.