Probiotics as Alternatives to Antibiotics for the Prevention and Control of Necrotic Enteritis in Chickens

Abstract

Necrotic enteritis (NE) in poultry is an economically important disease caused by Clostridium perfringens type A bacteria. A global trend on restricting the use of antibiotics as feed supplements in food animal production has caused a spike in the NE incidences in chickens, particularly in broiler populations. Amongst several non-antibiotic strategies for NE control tried so far, probiotics seem to offer promising avenues. The current review focuses on studies that have evaluated probiotic effects on C. perfringens growth and NE development. Several probiotic species, including Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Bacteroides bacteria as well as some yeast species have been tested in chickens against C. perfringens and NE development. These findings have shown to improve bird performance, reduce C. perfringens colonization and NE-associated pathology. The underlying probiotic mechanisms of NE control suggest that probiotics can help maintain a healthy gut microbial balance by modifying its composition, improve mucosal integrity by upregulating expression of tight-junction proteins, and modulate immune responses by downregulating expression of inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, these studies indicate that probiotics can offer a promising platform for NE control and that more investigations are needed to study whether these experimental probiotics can effectively prevent NE in commercial poultry operational settings.

Predicting Foodborne Pathogens and Probiotics Taxa within Poultry-Related Microbiomes Using a Machine Learning Approach

“…Probiotics which are microorganisms from healthy host are being considered in the food safety industry as they are carefully chosen for their non-pathogenic nature and ability to confer health bene ts to the new host they are administered to. Although, the exact mechanism of action is not well understood and often is strain dependent, improving host nutrient absorption, secretion of toxin such as bacteriocin, altering pH of the intestinal lumen, production of short-chain fatty acids and modulation of immune response, and competing for nutrients are some of the ways in which probiotics have been proposed to competitively exclude the pathogens and bene t both human and animals [21,22]. While the weight gain bene t of probiotics in livestock has been reported [23], their ability to reduce contamination of pathogens such as Salmonella spp.…”

Intervention Strategies to Control Campylobacter at Different Stages of the Food Chain

“…Probiotics: Over the past few years, probiotics have received considerable attention as antimicrobial alternatives for in-feed antibiotics in the poultry diet [ 88 , 89 ]. Probiotics are defined as “beneficial live microorganisms that confer various health benefits to the host when used as supplements” [ 90 ].…”

“…Probiotics are defined as “beneficial live microorganisms that confer various health benefits to the host when used as supplements” [ 90 ]. In addition to their role in competing with microbial pathogens for adhesion and colonization sites and in modulating intestinal immune responses and microbiome composition [ 90 , 91 , 92 ], probiotic bacteria produce anti-microbial substances, such as bacteriocins, lactic acid, and hydrogen peroxide that possess direct bactericidal activity against enteric pathogens [ 88 , 89 , 90 , 93 , 94 , 95 ]. We have recently assessed the immunomodulatory and anti- Campylobacter activities of different Lactobacillus species, including L. salivarius , L. johnsonii , L. reuteri , L. crispatus , and L. gasseri , in vitro [ 96 ].…”

Screening of Bacteria Inhibiting Clostridium perfringens and Assessment of Their Beneficial Effects In Vitro and In Vivo with Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis

“…Therefore, the development of a safe and efficient additive with antimicrobial properties has attracted scholars’ attention. Numerous alternative choices of substitutes emerged, including phytogenic feed additives, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophages, prebiotics, and probiotics [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Among these alternatives, probiotics represent one viable alternative because of its beneficial effects to host health and maintaining the intestinal microbial balance [ 12 ].…”