title: Evaluation of the efficacy of a probiotic containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, and Pediococcus strains in promoting broiler performance and modulating cecal microflora composition and metabolic activities.
abstract: The aim of this work was to investigate the efficacy of a new multibacterial species probiotic in broiler nutrition. The probiotic contained 2 Lactobacillus strains, 1 Bifidobacterium strain, 1 Enterococcus strain, and 1 Pediococcus strain. Four hundred 1-d-old male Cobb broilers were allocated in 4 experimental treatments for 6 wk. The experimental treatments received a corn-soybean basal diet and were as follows: "control," with no other additions; "probiotic in feed and water," (PFW) with probiotic administered at 1 g/kg of feed for the whole period and in water on scheduled intervals during the first 4 wk; "probiotic in feed," (PF) with probiotic in feed as in PFW; and "antibiotic," (AB) with addition of avilamycin at 2.5 mg/kg of feed. Salinomycin Na was used as a coccidiostat. Each treatment had 5 replicates of 20 broilers. Treatment effects on parameters of broiler performance and cecal microbial ecology were determined. Broiler BW, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were determined on a weekly and overall basis. Cecal microflora composition, concentration of volatile fatty acids, and activities of 5 bacterial glycolytic enzymes (alpha-galactosidase, beta-galactosidase, alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, and beta-glucuronidase) were determined at the end of the experiment. Overall, treatment PFW displayed a growth-promoting effect that did not differ from AB. Overall, feed conversion ratio in treatment AB was significantly better (P < or = 0.01) than the control treatment, whereas treatments PFW and PF were intermediate and not different from AB. Concentrations of bacteria belonging to Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., and gram-positive cocci were significantly (P < or = 0.05) higher in treatments PFW and PF compared with the control and AB treatments. Treatments PFW and PF had significantly higher specific activities of alpha-galactosidase and beta-galactosidase compared with the control and AB treatments. In conclusion, probiotic treatment PFW displayed a growth-promoting effect that was comparable to avilamycin treatment. In addition, treatments PFW and PF modulated the composition and, to an extent, the activities of the cecal microflora, resulting in a significant probiotic effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Greece. kmountzouris@aua.gr
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Mountzouris
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsirtsikos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalamara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nitsch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schatzmayr
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fegeros
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium; D002432:Cecum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D016983:Enterococcus; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D006019:Glycolysis; D007778:Lactobacillus; D008297:Male; D010376:Pediococcus; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile