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When we talk about poultry, zootechnical issues immediately come to mind: high weight gain, high egg production, good batch uniformity, low feed conversion, high viability. However, in order to achieve these goals, it is important to be aware of many factors.
Perhaps the most important of these is intestinal integrity, a factor that directly impacts poultry productivity. And, for there to be intestinal integrity, the microbiota is fundamental. After all, it has a close relationship with the zootechnical performance, the immune system and the health of the flock.
For this reason, we need to keep it in balance throughout the life of the chickens, and it is important to know details about the pioneer microbiota and the resident microbiota. In this content, we talk more about the subject and why early colonization is essential for poultry production.
Relationship between pioneer and resident microbiota
The microbiota is composed of microorganisms (mainly bacteria) that inhabit the intestines of chickens, responsible for the production of energy, vitamins and enzymes. Its formation goes through three phases: colonization, maturation and maintenance, which we explain in detail here. We can say that there is a pioneer microbiota and a resident microbiota.
Pioneer
Pioneer microbiota is formed in the early days of a chick’s life, colonizing the intestines with a large amount — and diversity! — of microorganisms. When hatching, chicks have a rudimentary intestinal microbiota, that is, composed of few microorganisms. The intestinal colonization phase is important for the formation of the pioneer microbiota. It happens during the first three days of life and begins in the hatchery – an environment that is usually rich in bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family. However, colonization will intensify even on the farm, after the chickens are housed, where they will ingest the microorganisms present in the water, feed and litter.
Resident
The resident microbiota will form after the colonization phase and its characteristics will be maintained until the end of the chickens’ life. However, the microbiota is in constant competition, in addition to being influenced by other factors that affect its balance. Maintaining this balance therefore becomes a major challenge.
In the sequence, we will talk a little about three important groups of bacteria that make up the pioneer and resident microbiota.
- LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria)
- lactic acid producing bacteria;
- they are related to performance and health;
- E.g.: Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Pediococcus.
- SFB (Segmented Filamentous Bacteria)
- bacteria with segmented filaments;
- group of bacteria that influence the maturation of the immune system;
- E.g.: Candidatus Savagella.
- Enterobacteriaceae
- gram-negative bacteria;
- this family includes a wide variety of bacteria with pathogenic potential;
- E.g.: Escherichia coli, paratyphoid Salmonella and Pseudomonas sp.
All this leads to the main objective of poultry industry: to promote early colonization and, subsequently, to keep the microbiota in balance to avoid zootechnical losses caused by microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis), as well as health problems.
Hatchery environment is rich in enterobacteria
But as the hatchery environment is rich in enterobacteria, it is important that the pioneer microbiota is formed through early colonization with probiotics of multiple lactic strains, which will favor the performance and the immune system of the chickens. After all, the pioneer microbiota will significantly modulate the resident microbiota, reducing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria present in the Enterobacteriaceae family – this is what the study shows “Intestinal Pioneer Colonizers as Drivers of Ileal Microbial Compositio and Diversity of Broller Chickens”.
The researchers used the in ovo technique in broilers as an experimental model to understand whether (and how) early intestinal bacterial colonizers could modulate microbiome abundance and diversity over time. One of the findings is that probiotics with lactic acid-producing bacteria as early colonizers desirably modulate the resident microbiota, increasing the populations of lactic acid bacteria and Candidatus Savagella and reducing the populations of Enterobacteriaceae.
Early colonization: starting point for intestinal integrity
The application of probiotics composed of multiple strains of lactic acid bacteria in the hatchery initiates intestinal colonization with beneficial bacteria, forming the pioneer microbiota that will subsequently modulate the resident microbiota. This is the starting point for chickens to have excellent intestinal integrity, resulting in zootechnical gains.
The probiotic Colostrum® Bio21 Liquid, for example, is indicated for early colonization carried out in the hatchery. Developed by Biocamp, it is composed of 21 strains of selected probiotic bacteria (20 lactic strains and 1 bacillus), contributing to provide zootechnical gains, develop the immune system and control diseases caused by enterobacteria, as well as cases of necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens.
This probiotic is also indicated to restore the intestinal microbiota after treatment with antibiotics — or at times when chickens have affected intestinal integrity.
Did you even know that the microbiota undergoes several variations throughout a single day? This is what the Business Manager of Biocamp, Bauer Alvarenga, proves in his master’s thesis, entitled “Relação entre o aspecto morfológico de fezes de frangos de corte e sua composição bacteriana”[“Relationship between the morphological aspect of broiler feces and its bacterial composition”]. Follow the Biocamp blog and don’t miss the next article on the subject!
