Effect of Bacillus toyonensis BCT-7112T supplementation on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune-related gene expression, and gut microbiome in Barbary ducks

Thitima Pechrkong; Tossaporn Incharoen; Noraphat Hwanhlem; Worasak Kaewkong; Pakpoom Subsoontorn; Wandee Tartrakoon; Sonthaya Numthuam; Guillermo Jiménez; Rangsun Charoensook

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2023.102991

Effect of Bacillus toyonensis BCT-7112^T supplementation on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune-related gene expression, and gut microbiome in Barbary ducks

Poult Sci. 2023 Oct;102(10):102991. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.102991. Epub 2023 Aug 3.

Authors

Thitima Pechrkong¹, Tossaporn Incharoen¹, Noraphat Hwanhlem¹, Worasak Kaewkong², Pakpoom Subsoontorn², Wandee Tartrakoon¹, Sonthaya Numthuam¹, Guillermo Jiménez³, Rangsun Charoensook⁴

Affiliations

¹ Division of Animal Science and Feed Technology, Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Naresuan University, 65000 Phitsanulok, Thailand.
² Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, 65000 Phitsanulok, Thailand.
³ Rubinum S.A., 08191 Rubí, Catalonia, Spain.
⁴ Division of Animal Science and Feed Technology, Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Naresuan University, 65000 Phitsanulok, Thailand. Electronic address: rangsunc@nu.ac.th.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Bacillus toyonensis BCT-7112^T supplementation on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune-related gene expression, and the cecal microbiota of meat ducks. A total of 150 one-day-old male Barbary ducks were divided into 3 groups with 5 replicates (n = 10 ducks per replicate) by completely randomized design and offered diets supplemented with the commercial product Toyocerin (containing 1 × 10⁹B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T viable spores/g product) at the levels of 0, 500, or 1,000 mg/kg (0, 500, or 1,000 ppm), respectively, for 8 wk. The results showed that although ducks in the 500 ppm B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T group displayed numerically better values (e.g., weight gain and feed conversion ratio) than those in the control group, the growth performance of ducks fed diets supplemented with B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T did not differ significantly from that of the control group (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the intestinal mucosal morphology of ducks across the experimental groups (P > 0.05). However, ducks in the 500 ppm B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T group showed a trend of greater values, for example, villus height per crypt depth of duodenum (P = 0.16) and ileum (P = 0.12) compared with those in the control group. The relative expression of immune-related genes, for example, interferon (IFN) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the meat duck spleen was significantly lower in both B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T groups at 14 d and 35 d than in the control group (P < 0.05). Beta diversity analysis of the cecal microbiota of ducks in either the 500 ppm or the 1,000 ppm B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T group showed to have higher diversity than that in the control group, where at the phylum level, Bacteroidetes was the most abundant, followed by Firmicutes, and at the genus level, Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, and Ruminococcaceae were the top 3 most abundant genera. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that 500 ppm supplementation with B. toyonensis BCT-7112^T in duck diets can reduce proinflammatory cytokine gene expression, improve immunological function, and increase the variety of microbial communities in the ceca of meat-type ducks.

Keywords: Bacillus toyonensis; ducks; gut microbiome; immune response; probiotics.

MeSH terms

Animal Feed / analysis
Animals
Chickens / genetics
Dietary Supplements / analysis
Ducks*
Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Gene Expression
Male

Supplementary concepts

Bacillus toyonensis