The effect of medicated diets and level of feeding on caecal microbiota of lactating rabbit does.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of the type of antibiotic used in medicated diets against pathogens and the feeding level on the microbial biodiversity in the rabbit caecum.


RESULTS
Three groups of eight does were given a diet unsupplemented (NAB) or with 100 ppm of bacitracin (BAC) or tiamulin (TIA). Litter sizes of four does in each group were adjusted to five (LS5) or to nine (LS9), to manipulate their levels of feed intake. The feeding level strongly affected caecal microbiota in does fed on NAB and BAC diet, whereas the effect of the antibiotic was higher in TIA-supplemented animals, even prevailing over the effect of feeding level. Daily food intake and milk yield (P<0.05) and caecum weight (P<0.10) were higher in feeding of LS9 does. The total volatile fatty acid concentration was lower with BAC (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The feeding level strongly affects caecal biodiversity in lactating does. The extent of the antibiotic effect depends on its nature, being significant with TIA but not with BAC.


CONCLUSIONS
Changes in the feeding level promote different profiles of caecal microbiota. Therapeutic doses of TIA may affect caecal microbiota, whereas BAC would not reduce diversity.
Abecia
L
L
Departamento de Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Fondevila
M
M
Balcells
J
J
Lobley
G E
GE
McEwan
N R
NR
D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001414:Bacitracin / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044822:Biodiversity; D002432:Cecum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000187:drug effects; D008098:Litter Size; D009929:Organ Size; D011817:Rabbits / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004224:Diterpenes; D001414:Bacitracin; C014224:tiamulin