Characteristics of the fecal microbiota of high- and low-yield hens and effects of fecal microbiota transplantation on egg production performance. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yanbin; Xu, Laipeng; Sun, Xiangli; Wan, Xianhua; Sun, Guirong; Jiang, Ruirui; Li, Wenting; Tian, Yadong; Liu, Xiaojun; Kang, Xiangtao
• Is Part Of: Research in veterinary science. Volume 129(2020)
• Page Start: 164
• Page End: 173
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: Laying hens -- Microbiota -- 16S rDNA -- Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT); Veterinary medicine -- Periodicals; Veterinary Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine vétérinaire -- Périodiques; Médecine vétérinaire -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Diergeneeskunde; 636.089
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2020.01.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-5288

Abstract

Abstract: The microbiota that resides in the digestive tract plays pivotal role in maintaining intestinal environmental stability by promoting nutrition digestion and intestinal mucosal immunity. However, whether the intestinal microbiota in laying hens affects egg laying- performance is not known. In this study, 16S rDNA gene sequencing and fecal microbiota transplantation were used to determine the structure of the intestinal microbiota and the effect of the intestinal microbiota on egg production. The results revealed that Firmicutes were dominant in both the H (high egg laying rates) and L (low egg laying rates) groups, while Bacteroides, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were significantly enriched in the L group compared to the H group. The laying rates were weakly affected in H hens transplanted with the fecal microbiota from L hens, except for temporary fluctuation, while the egg laying rates were significantly increased in L hens transplanted with the fecal microbiota from H hens. Therefore, we concluded that the population structure of the intestinal microbiota varied between the H and L groups, and the intestinal microbiota of high-yield laying hens had significant effects on low-yield laying hens performance. Highlights: The intestinal microbial compositions of hens with different laying rates were determined using 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Differences in the intestinal microbiota of hens with different laying levels were verified by FMT. The intestinal flora homeostasis of the high egg laying hens was significantly superior to that of the low egg laying hens.