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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370419
Research Project: Non-antibiotic Strategies to Control Enteric Diseases of Poultry

Location: Animal Biosciences & Biotechnology Laboratory

Title: "Dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis direct-fed microbials alters chicken intestinal metabolite levels"

Author
item PARK, I - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item ZIMMERMAN, NP - Arm & Hammer Animal And Food Production
item SMITH, AH - Arm & Hammer Animal And Food Production
item REHBERGER, TG - Arm & Hammer Animal And Food Production
item LILLEHOJ, EP - University Of Maryland
item Lillehoj, Hyun

Submitted to: American Association of Avian Pathologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Direct-fed microbials (DFMs) are dietary supplements containing live microorganisms which confer a performance and health benefit to the host, but the mechanisms are unclear. Here, a metabolomics approach was used to identify changes in intestinal metabolite levels in chickens fed an unsupplemented diet or a diet supplemented with B. subtilis strain 1781 or strain 747. Body weight gains of chickens fed the B. subtilis-supplemented diets were increased, compared with chickens fed the unsupplemented diet. Compared with unsupplemented controls, the levels of 83 metabolites were altered (p < 0.05) (25 increased, 58 decreased) in chickens given the B. subtilis 1781-supplemented diet, while 50 were altered (p < 0.05) (12 increased, 38 decreased) with the B. subtilis 747-supplemented diet. Twenty-two metabolites were altered (p < 0.05) (18 increased, 4 decreased) in the B. subtilis 1781 vs. B. subtilis 747 groups. Changes in the levels of these intestinal biochemicals provided a distinctive biochemical signature unique to each B. subtilis-supplemented group, and were characterized by alterations in the levels of dipeptides (alanylleucine, glutaminylleucine, phenylalanylalanine, valylglutamine), nucleosides (N1-methyladenosine, N6-methyladenosine, guanine, 2-deoxyguanosine), fatty acids (sebacate, valerylglycine, linoleoylcholine), and carbohydrates (fructose). These results provide the foundation for future studies to identify biochemicals that might be used to improve poultry growth performance in the absence of antibiotic growth promoters.