Department Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Division Farm Animal Health, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 7, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2022 Aug 29;98(9). doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiac090.
There is great interest in identifying gut microbiota development patterns and underlying assembly rules that can inform strategies to improve broiler health and performance. Microbiota stratification using community types helps to simplify complex and dynamic ecosystem principles of the intestinal microbiota. This study aimed to identify community types to increase insight in intestinal microbiota variation between broilers and to identify factors that explain this variation. A total of 10 well-performing poultry flocks on four farms were followed. From each flock, the cecal content of nine broilers was collected at 7, 14, and 35 days posthatch. A total of two robust community types were observed using different clustering methods, one of which was dominated by 7-day-old broilers, and one by 35-day-old broilers. Broilers, 14-day-old, were divided across both community types. This is the first study that showed conserved cecal microbiota development trajectories in commercial broiler flocks. In addition to the temporal development with age, the cecal microbiota variation between broilers was explained by the flock, body weight, and the different feed components. Our data support a conserved development of cecal microbiota, despite strong influence of environmental factors. Further investigation of mechanisms underlying microbiota development and function is required to facilitate intestinal health promoting management, diagnostics, and nutritional interventions.
人们对确定肠道微生物群落的发育模式和潜在的组装规则很感兴趣，这些模式和规则可以为改善肉鸡健康和性能的策略提供信息。使用群落类型对微生物群落进行分层有助于简化肠道微生物群落复杂而动态的生态系统原则。本研究旨在确定群落类型，以增加对肉鸡肠道微生物群落之间差异的了解，并确定解释这种差异的因素。总共对四个农场的 10 个表现良好的家禽养殖场进行了跟踪。从每个养殖场的 9 只肉鸡的盲肠内容物中收集了 7、14 和 35 日龄的样本。使用不同的聚类方法观察到了两个稳健的群落类型，其中一个主要由 7 日龄的肉鸡组成，另一个由 35 日龄的肉鸡组成。14 日龄的肉鸡则分布在这两个群落类型中。这是第一项表明在商业肉鸡养殖场中存在保守的盲肠微生物群落发育轨迹的研究。除了随年龄的时间性发展外，肉鸡之间的盲肠微生物群落差异还可以用鸡群、体重和不同的饲料成分来解释。我们的数据支持盲肠微生物群落的保守发育，尽管受到环境因素的强烈影响。需要进一步研究微生物群落发育和功能的机制，以促进促进肠道健康的管理、诊断和营养干预。
