The response of gastrointestinal microbiota to avilamycin, butyrate, and plant extracts in early-weaned pigs1,2

Abstract

An experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of 3 different additives on the gastrointestinal microbiota of early-weaned pigs. Early-weaned (18 to 22 d; n = 32) pigs (6.0 +/- 0.10 kg of BW) from 8 litters were randomly distributed into 8 pens. Each pen was assigned 1 of 4 dietary treatments: a prestarter or control diet, the control diet with 0.04% avilamycin (AB), with 0.3% sodium butyrate, or with 0.03% plant extract mixture (XT; standardized mixture with 5% (wt/wt) carvacrol extracted from Origanum spp., 3% cinnamaldehyde extracted from Cinnamonum spp., and 2% capsicum oleoresin from Capsicum annum). At the end of the experimental period, 8 pigs per treatment were killed, and samples of their intestinal content were taken. The total bacterial load along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT; stomach, jejunum, cecum, and distal colon) and the lactobacilli and enterobacteria in the jejunum and cecum were measured by quantitative PCR. The total microbial counts along the GIT did not differ among the diets, but there was an increase in the lactobacilli:enterobacteria ratio in the cecum of the piglets on the XT diet (P = 0.003). Restriction fragment length polymorphism of the PCR-amplified V3, V4, and V5 regions of the 16S rDNA gene showed changes in the structure of the microbial community in the jejunum. Dendrograms grouped animals by diets; control with 0.3% sodium butyrate was the treatment that promoted the biggest changes in the microbial ecosystem, followed by AB and then XT. Biodiversity increased when using additives compared with the control diet (P = 0.002). Microbial metabolic activity along the hindgut was studied using the concentration of purine bases and carbohydrase activities. Different patterns for purine bases were observed between diets (diet x intestinal section, P = 0.01). The control diet reached a maximum purine base concentration at the end of the colon, whereas that of the AB diet was reached at the cecum. We could not detect any cellulase or xylanase activities in animals of this age. Appreciable amylase and amylopectinase activities were found, but they did not differ between diets. The results suggest that the effects of avilamycin, butyrate, or the plant extract would not be related to a reduction in the number of total bacteria inhabiting different sections of the GIT but rather to changes in the ecological structure and metabolic activity of the microbial community.

From the gut to the peripheral tissues: the multiple effects of butyrate

“…The relationship between lactobacilli and enterobacteria populations has traditionally been considered as an index of desirable or undesirable bacteria in pigs, relating a high index with a greater resistance to intestinal disorders (165) . Adding butyrate to diets promoted greater mean values in this ratio (166) . Galfi & Bokori (140) observed changes in the ileal microbiota with a decrease in the proportion of coliform bacteria and a simultaneous increase of lactobacilli.…”

“…Van Immerseel et al (167) , using microencapsulated butyrate in young chickens, also demonstrated a decrease in the caecum colonisation of Salmonella after an experimental infection. It was reported that oral butyrate supplementation would not influence the number of total bacteria inhabiting different sections of the GIT but rather promote the largest changes in the composition of the jejunal microbiota and in the ecological structure and metabolic activity of the microbial ecosystem of the large intestine (166) . These authors suggested that such changes in the upper GIT could potentially modify the fermentable material reaching the large intestine and, therefore, modify the microbial activity at the faecal level.…”

The Gut Microbiota: Ecology and Function

“…The composition of the gut microbiota can change dramatically in response to changes in diet; however, these changes do not always happen quickly. It can take several weeks for activators of microbial degradation enzymes, such as xylanase and cellulose, to adjust to a new diet (Castillo et al, 2006). In the case of omnivores and herbivores, the introduction of plant carbohydrates favors the growth of species that are adapted to the fermentation of dietary fiber.…”

Effect of a Dietary Herbal Mixture Supplement on the Growth Performance, Egg Production and Health Status in Chickens

“…According to Castillo et al (2006) the aldehyde carvacrol present in cinnamon improves the growth of lactobacilli, thus increasing the share of useful intestinal microflora. Furthermore garlic supplementation improved feed conversion ratio, body weight, carcass characteristics, as well as survivability in poultry (Javed et al, 2009;Kumar et al, 2010;Mohebbifar and Torki, 2011).…”