Perturbations of the ileal mycobiota by necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Abstract

Background Intestinal microbiota is critical for maintaining animal health and homeostasis. However, involvement of the fungal community, also known as the mycobiota, in animal health and disease is poorly understood. This study was aimed to examine the association between the intestinal mycobiota and the severity of necrotic enteritis (NE), an economically significant poultry disease. Methods A total of 90 day-of-hatch Cobb broilers were infected with Eimeria maxima on d 10, followed by an oral challenge with C. perfringens on d 14 to induce NE, while another 10 broilers were served as mock-infected controls. On d 17, the lesions in the jejunum were scored, and the ileal digesta were subjected to DNA isolation and real-time PCR quantification of total bacterial and fungi populations. Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) amplicon sequencing was also performed to profile the ileal mycobiota composition. Changes in the ileal mycobiota in response to NE were investigated. Spearman correlation analysis was further conducted to identify the correlations between relative abundances of individual ileal fungi and the severity of NE. Results While the total bacterial population in the ileum was increased by 2- to 3-fold in NE chickens, the total fungal population was progressively declined in more exacerbated NE, with the most severely infected chickens showing a nearly 50-fold reduction relative to mock-infected controls. Richness of the ileal mycobiota also tended to reduce in chickens with NE (P = 0.06). Compositionally, among 30 most abundant fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), 11 were diminished and 7 were enriched (P < 0.05), while 12 remained largely unchanged in NE-afflicted chickens (P > 0.05). Multiple Wallemia and Aspergillus species were markedly diminished in NE (P < 0.05) and also showed a significant negative correlation with NE severity (P < 0.05). Conclusions Dysbiosis of the ileal mycobiota is induced evidently by NE and the extent of the dysbiosis is positively correlated with disease severity. These findings suggest a possible role of the intestinal mycobiota in NE pathogenesis and highlight the mycobiota as a new potential target for NE mitigation in poultry.

Recombinant Limosilactobacillus (Lactobacillus) delivering nanobodies against Clostridium perfringens NetB and alpha toxin confers potential protection from necrotic enteritis

“…These factors cause damage to the intestinal layer and facilitate C. perfringens proliferation and toxin production. Growth of C. perfringens results in drastic shifts in microbiota with a reciprocal decrease in Lactobacilli (Yang, Liu, Robinson, et al, 2021 ; Yang, Liu, Wang, et al, 2021 ). We selected L. reuteri strains with intrinsic benefits as delivery vectors.…”

“…Mucosal damage caused by Eimeria species, nature of the feed, sudden diet change, high‐density bird housing conditions, and extreme environmental temperatures are among the key factors that predispose birds to NE (Fernandes Da Costa et al, 2016 ). The proliferation of C. perfringens leads to dramatic shifts in microbiota, with decreased abundance of beneficial species such as those belonging to Lactobacillus (Yang, Liu, Robinson, et al, 2021 ; Yang, Liu, Wang, et al, 2021 ).…”

Gut Microbiome and Gut Immunity in Broiler Chickens Fed Allium hookeri Root Powder from Day 10 to 28

“…2A). Proteobacteria 는 Salmonella와 Campylobacter같은 육계에게 치명적인 감 염성 장질환을 일으키는 병원균을 포함하는 Phylum이다 (Heres et al, 2004;Yang et al, 2021). Proteobacteria는 부 화 후 초기 육계에서 다른 장내 미생물보다 빠르게 군집화 가 일어나 초기 육계성장에 악영향을 주지만, 이후 Firmicutes 및 Bacteroidetes의 증가로 인해 개체수가 감소하 여 활성이 떨어진다고 알려져 있다 (Segura-Wang et al, 2021).…”

Ex vivo pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic of hexahydrocolupulone against Clostridium perfringens in broiler chickens

“…The incidence of Clostridium perfringens -induced necrotic enteritis (NE) in the broiler industry, as well as other subclinical diseases associated with the bacteria, has increased ( 1 , 2 ). Due to the significant costs associated with disease in broiler production ( 3 ), the annual cost of NE to the global poultry industry is estimated to be approximately $6 billion, including production losses and the cost of management measures ( 4 ).…”