title: Effects of two different probiotics on microflora, morphology, and morphometry of gut in organic laying hens.
abstract: The current study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis, used as probiotics, on the microflora, morphology, and morphometry of the gut in organic laying hens. The birds (180 Hy-Line laying hens) were divided into 3 homogenous groups and received a pre-deposition diet from 16 to 20 wk of age and a deposition diet for the remaining 7 months of the experiment. The control group ( CTR: ) was fed a corn-soybean cake-based diet, the second group ( L: ) received the same diet supplemented with 0.1% of L. acidophilus while in the third group ( B: ) the basal diet was supplemented with 0.05% of B. subtilis At 18 wk of age ( T1: ) and at 5 ( T2: ) and 7 months ( T3: ) from the beginning of deposition, 9 subjects per group were humanely killed for microbiological, morphological and morphometric analyses of the intestinal tract. The 2 probiotic-supplemented diets increased Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. counts compared with the CTR diet. The lowest viable counts of E. coli, coliforms and staphylococci were observed in the L group (P < 0.001). Clostridium spp. decreased (P < 0.001) in both L and B subjects. The probiotic supplementation appeared to affect the intestinal microbial population, promoting the presence of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. and reducing potential harmful bacteria such as E. coli, clostridia and staphylococci. Morphological and morphometric analyses did not reveal substantial differences among groups. At T3, the plasma cell infiltrate in the villi of the CTR hens was more severe than that observed in the L and B groups (P = 0.009).
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Acuti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Perugia, Italy e.manuali@izsum.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manuali
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casagrande Proietti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavone
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trabalza-Marinucci
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moscati
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onofri
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorenzetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Franciosini
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001412:Bacillus subtilis; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000382:microbiology; D007779:Lactobacillus acidophilus; D019936:Probiotics; D011897:Random Allocation
keywords: Bacillus subtilis; Lactobacillus acidophilus; intestinal microbiota; organic farming