Antibacterial activity of Bacillus species-derived surfactin on Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Clostridium perfringens

Abstract

Swine dysentery and necrotic enteritis are a bane to animal husbandry worldwide. Some countries have already banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal production. Surfactin is a potential alternative to antibiotics and antibacterial agents. However, the antibacterial activity of Bacillus species-derived surfactin on Brachyspira hyodysenteriae and Clostridium perfringens are still poorly understood. In the current study, the antibacterial effects of surfactin produced from Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis on B. hyodysenteriae and C. perfringens were evaluated. Results showed that multiple surfactin isoforms were detected in B. subtilis, while only one surfactin isoform was detected in B. licheniformis fermented products. The surfactin produced from B. subtilis exhibited significant antibacterial activity against B. hyodysenteriae compared with surfactin produced from B. licheniformis. B. subtilis-derived surfactin could inhibit bacterial growth and disrupt the morphology of B. hyodysenteriae. Furthermore, the surfactin produced from B. subtilis have the highest activity against C. perfringens growth. In contrast, B. licheniformis fermented product-derived surfactin had a strong bacterial killing activity against C. perfringens compared with surfactin produced from B. subtilis. These results together suggest that Bacillus species-derived surfactin have potential for development as feed additives and use as a possible substitute for antibiotics to prevent B. hyodysenteriae and C. perfringens-associated disease in the animal industry.

Evaluation of Bacillus licheniformis-Fermented Feed Additive as an Antibiotic Substitute: Effect on the Growth Performance, Diarrhea Incidence, and Cecal Microbiota in Weaning Piglets

“…Here, the fermented feed additive contained the live B. licheniformis and B. licheniformis-derived antimicrobial peptide surfactin. It has been reported that surfactin isolated from BLF can inhibit the growth of diarrhea-associated pathogens, such as Clostridium perfringens and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae [14,24]. Surfactin also exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect without cytotoxicity in vitro [25,26].…”

“…The prevention of post-weaning diarrhea by the application of probiotics or probiotic-derived functional metabolites has also been investigated in weaning piglets [9][10][11]. Among the probiotic strains that have been studied, Bacillus licheniformis has been reported to have a strong ability to produce digestive enzymes and antimicrobial peptides that enhance nutrient utilization and inhibit pathogen growth [12][13][14]. Furthermore, the combined use of B. licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis have been found to decrease the morbidity and mortality rates, ameliorate enteritis, and improve the growth performance of weaning piglets [15,16].…”

<i>Bacillus licheniformis</i>-Fermented Products Improve Growth Performance and Intestinal Gut Morphology in Broilers under <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> Challenge

“…Prevention of C. perfringens -induced necrotic enteritis with the use of probiotics or probiotic derived metabolites has been increasingly studied ( Knap et al , 2010 ; Abudabos et al , 2013 ; Cheng et al , 2018 ; Lin et al , 2019 ). Bacillus licheniformis , a gram-positive and endospore-forming probiotic strain exhibits in vitro antibacterial activity against C. perfringens through the production of the antibacterial cyclic lipopeptide surfactin ( Thaniyavarn et al , 2003 ; Barbosa et al , 2005 ; Horng et al , 2019 ). Our previous studies have shown that surfactin isolated from B. licheniformis -fermented products can suppress the growth of C. perfringens, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae , and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro ( Horng et al , 2019 ; Lin et al , 2019 ).…”

“…Bacillus licheniformis , a gram-positive and endospore-forming probiotic strain exhibits in vitro antibacterial activity against C. perfringens through the production of the antibacterial cyclic lipopeptide surfactin ( Thaniyavarn et al , 2003 ; Barbosa et al , 2005 ; Horng et al , 2019 ). Our previous studies have shown that surfactin isolated from B. licheniformis -fermented products can suppress the growth of C. perfringens, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae , and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro ( Horng et al , 2019 ; Lin et al , 2019 ). Furthermore, B. licheniformis is able to mitigate C. perfringens -induced necrotic enteritis and ameliorate growth performance in broilers ( Knap et al , 2010 ; Liu et al , 2012 ; Gong et al , 2018 ; Musa et al , 2019 ).…”

“…Our recent findings indicated that B. licheniformis -fermented products may be produced in solid-state fermentation and its antibacterial activities have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo ( Horng et al , 2019 ; Lin et al , 2019 ). However, the growth performance was not significantly improved by B. licheniformis -fermented products in broilers under C. perfringens challenge ( Lin et al , 2019 ).…”