Modulations of the XXXX cecal microbiome and metagenome in response to anticoccidial and growth promoter treatment.

@entity6193 @entity18524 @entity8588 @entity4409 @entity1573 @entity526
With increasing pressures to reduce or eliminate the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion purposes in production animals, there is a growing need to better understand the effects elicited by these agents in order to identify alternative approaches that might be used to maintain @entity4409 . Antibiotic usage at subtherapeutic levels is postulated to confer a number of modulations in the microbes within the gut that ultimately result in growth promotion and reduced occurrence of disease. This study examined the effects of the coccidiostat @entity6193 and the growth promoters @entity18524 and @entity8588 on the broiler @entity1573 cecal microbiome and metagenome. Using a longitudinal design, cecal contents of commercial @entity1573 were extracted and examined using 16S rRNA and total DNA shotgun metagenomic pyrosequencing. A number of genus-level enrichments and depletions were observed in response to @entity6193 alone, or @entity6193 in combination with @entity18524 or @entity8588 . Of note, @entity6193 effects included depletions of Roseburia, Lactobacillus and Enterococcus, and enrichments in Coprococcus and Anaerofilum. The most notable effect observed in the @entity6193 / @entity18524 and @entity6193 / @entity8588 treatments, but not in the @entity6193 -alone treatments, was enrichments in @entity526 . Analysis of the metagenomic dataset identified enrichments in transport system genes, type I fimbrial genes, and type IV conjugative secretion system genes. No significant differences were observed with regard to antimicrobial resistance gene counts. Overall, this study provides a more comprehensive glimpse of the @entity1573 cecum microbial community, the modulations of this community in response to growth promoters, and targets for future efforts to mimic these effects using alternative approaches.
