Steering Broiler Intestinal Microbiota Through Nutrition For Improved Health
Abstract
Digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place in the small intestine, in the chicken essentially in the duodenum and jejunum. The remaining undigestible fraction, mostly plant cell wall polysaccharides (non-starch polysaccharides or NSP), are the natural substrate for the microbiota that live in the lower part of the intestine, essentially ileum and caeca. Dysbiosis can be defined as an unfavorable shift in the intestinal microbiota, leading to inflammation. It can be due to incomplete digestion of feed, leading to digestible nutrients becoming available to the microbes. In the immature gut ecosystem of the broiler, also insufficient capacity of the developing microbiota to break down the plant cell wall polysaccharides is an issue. Therefore, strategic use of NSP degrading enzymes (NSPases), prebiotics, and any other interventions supporting this functional segregation between the upper and the lower gastrointestinal tract, will reinforce a healthy microbiome. This microbiome has beneficial effects on the absorption and utilization of nutrients.
Presented at the International Fibre Summit 2019 (https://internationalfibre.com/). Reproduced with permission from the organizers.
Hi Richard:
In today's poultry industry, dysbiosis not only is seen in broilers but also is seen in layers (commercials and breeders) and we need a lot of steering to improve gut health in all kind of chicken. And not only the plant cell like NSP predispose the condition to change the microbiota but also the structure of feed, anti nutrient and biogenic amine do it also and foregut formation in early age and their ability to prepare the nutrient to be digested in hind gut is critical.
One of the major problems of dysbiosis in layers is peritonitis because of the dislocation of bacteria from intestine to peritoneum after inflammation of intestine.
Today it is clear that improvement of gut health and dysbiosis prevention is most important in poultry production but yet it seems we must know more about it and feed additives to control it.
Unfortunately, your article is not completely available to know what feed additive is more effective or combination of them as your study or research.
