Biochar, Bentonite and Zeolite Supplemented Feeding of Layer Chickens Alters Intestinal Microbiota and Reduces Campylobacter Load

Abstract

A range of feed supplements, including antibiotics, have been commonly used in poultry production to improve health and productivity. Alternative methods are needed to suppress pathogen loads and maintain productivity. As an alternative to antibiotics use, we investigated the ability of biochar, bentonite and zeolite as separate 4% feed additives, to selectively remove pathogens without reducing microbial richness and diversity in the gut. Neither biochar, bentonite nor zeolite made any significant alterations to the overall richness and diversity of intestinal bacterial community. However, reduction of some bacterial species, including some potential pathogens was detected. The microbiota of bentonite fed animals were lacking all members of the order Campylobacterales. Specifically, the following operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were absent: an OTU 100% identical to Campylobacter jejuni; an OTU 99% identical to Helicobacter pullorum; multiple Gallibacterium anatis (>97%) related OTUs; Bacteroides dorei (99%) and Clostridium aldenense (95%) related OTUs. Biochar and zeolite treatments had similar but milder effects compared to bentonite. Zeolite amended feed was also associated with significant reduction in the phylum Proteobacteria. All three additives showed potential for the control of major poultry zoonotic pathogens.

Use of biochar as feed supplements for animal farming

“…Teleb, Hegazy, and Hussein (2004) found that supplementing broiler diets with 0.5% biochar reduced the detrimental effects of aflatoxins, lowering mortality and improving growth performance. Prasai et al (2016) and revealed that biochar reduced the pathogenic bacterium Campylobacter jejuni in pullets' gut microbiota. In in vitro uremic toxin (urea and creatinine) adsorption model experiments, Jandosov et al (2017) found that rice husk-derived carbon enterosorbents (biochar) modified by oxidation by ozone followed by ammonia treatment of the carbon surface were able to reduce clinically significant levels of uremic toxins, comparable to commercial enterosorbents.…”

“…Since 2010, biochar has increasingly been used as a feed additive in animal husbandry (O'Toole et al, 2016). As shown in Table 1, biochar used as a feed supplement is commonly made from biomass such as rice husks (Leng et al, 2012;Phongpanith, Inthapanya, & Preston, 2013), woody green waste (Prasai et al, 2016), pine wood chips (Saleem et al, 2018) and jarrah wood (Joseph et al, 2015).…”

“…Activated charcoal has been administered to relieve a range of different digestive problems in various animals including colic in horses (Edmunds et al, 2016), flatulence in dogs (Giffard, Collins, Stoodley, Butterwick, & Batt, 2001) and ingested toxins in horses (Kaye, Elliott, & Jalim, 2012). It is regarded as a universal poison antidote and has been used in time-restricted medications against bacterial toxins such as those produced by Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium tetani and Campylobacter jejuni in chickens (Prasai et al, 2016), as well as against viral animal diseases such as bovine rotavirus and bovine coronavirus in vitro (Toth & Dou, 2016).…”

“…Watarai and Tana (2005) found that pathogens were adsorbed to a greater extent than native intestinal microflora. The inclusion of 4% wood-based biochar in the daily diets of Bond Brown Layer (Rhode Island Red cockerel  Rhode Island White hen) pullets reduced pathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter jejuni) in the gut microbiota and the pullets' egg weight significantly increased by 5% (Prasai et al, 2016). Supplementing biochar in broilers' diets can deactivate toxins in the digestive system and help to activate the intestinal flora and boost its vitality (Gerlach & Schmidt, 2012b).…”

Effects of phosalone consumption via feeding with or without sodium bentonite on performance, blood metabolites and its transition to milk of Iranian Baluchi sheep

“…Supplementation of contaminated diets with SB decreased transition of aflatoxin M1 to goat’s Milk [70]. Also bentonite has been used as bleaching [48], remove pathogens from the gastrointestinal of poultry [74], toxin binder [56], stabilization of sewage sludge containing heavy metals [49], buffering agent in feedstuffs [24], manipulation of a rumen ecosystem [39, 67] and performance of broiler chickens [55]. The performance of fattening Zandi lambs improved with the dietary inclusion of SB compared to control group [54] and also, fat-tail percentage decreased.…”