title: Correlations between changes in intestinal microbiota composition and performance parameters in broiler chickens.
abstract: Growing male Cobb broiler chickens were fed on diets supplemented with additives reported as able to influence intestinal microbiota composition. The diets used were a balanced commercial diet (no additive), inulin (20 g/kg), fructose caramel (FC, 20 g/kg) and the garlic derivative PTS-O (propyl propane thiosulfonate, 45 and 90 mg/kg diet). The composition of the intestinal microbiota was analysed by qPCR at different points of the intestinal tract, and a number of nutritional parameters were also determined. The relative amounts of bacteroides (bacteroides/total bacteria) in the ileal contents correlated (p < 0.05) positively with faecal NDF, ADF, hemicellulose and cellulose digestibility. The relative amounts of Escherichia-Shigella (Escherichia-Shigella/total bacteria) in the crop contents correlated (p = 0.05) negatively with weight gain of broilers. Faecal N digestibility correlated (p < 0.05) negatively with total bacteria in the ileal contents of chickens. The relative amounts of Escherichia-Shigella (Escherichia-Shigella/total bacteria) in the caecal contents correlated (p = 0.05) negatively with faecal fat digestibility of broilers. Total bacteria in ileal or caecal contents of growing chickens correlated (p < 0.05) negatively with ileal N digestibility. The results here reported suggest that positive or negative correlations can be found between performance parameters and changes in intestinal microbiota composition of growing broiler chickens.
authors.affiliation: Depto. de Fisiología y Bioquímica de la Nutrición Animal (INAN, EEZ, CSIC), Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Peinado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suárez-Pereira
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ortiz Mellet
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: García Fernández
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002182:Candy; D002241:Carbohydrates; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D003426:Crop, Avian / Q000382:microbiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D007082:Ileum / Q000382:microbiology*; D007444:Inulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D013886:Thiosulfonic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D013886:Thiosulfonic Acids; C569050:caramel coloring; D007444:Inulin
keywords: broiler; correlation; intestinal microbiota; nutritional parameters